Vimentin expression of newly formed rat bile duct epithelial cells in secondary biliary fibrosis

The intermediate filament profile and the growth fraction of hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells were studied in a rat model of biliary fibrosis secondary to common bile duct ligation and scission. Strong vimentin expression was observed in epithelial cells of newly formed bile ductules, while normal liver contained only few weakly positive bile duct epithelial cells. All epithelial cells reacted with a pan-cytokeratin antibody. A monoclonal antibody specific for human cytokeratin 7 selectively reacted with both normal and newly formed bile duct epithelial cells. The intermediate filament profile of hepatocytes was constant, showing no changes during proliferation or in periportal areas adjacent to excessive bile duct formations. The proliferation-associated antigen detected by the antibody Ki-67 was present in many hepatocytes, homogeneously distributed in the lobules, but was seen only in a small proportion of the epithelial cells of the newly formed bile ducts. We conclude that vimentin may serve as an indicator for cellular reorganization in the bile duct system, and that the epithelial cells of newly formed bile ductules in this particular model of secondary biliary fibrosis were most likely to be derived from an outgrowth of the biliary duct system and recruitment of preductular epithelial cells. No morphological or immunohistological evidence suggesting a derivation from hepatocytes by ductular metaplasia or from oval cells was obtained.