[Hepatic neoductules]

Proliferation of preexisting bile ducts, ductular metaplasia of hepatocytes and proliferation and differentiation of liver stem cells are discussed in the pathogenesis of neoductular structures in the liver. Under the condition of experimental bile duct obstruction and in extrahepatic bile duct stenosis neoductular structures are first the result of proliferation and sprouting of preexisting ducts and cholangioles. Especially in later stages of cholestasis but also in other chronic progredient liver diseases such as chronic alcoholic liver disease and chronic active hepatitis periportal hepatocytes may show a phenotypic shift towards ductular epithelia. In postnatal liver diseases hepatocytes first express keratin 7 and later keratin 19 during ductular transdifferentiation. This is in contrast to embryonal cholangiogenesis. In alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, and chronic active hepatitis B cellular deposites typically located in hepatocytes such as alpha-1-AT, siderin, copper, HBs-Ag, and HBc-Ag can also be found in neoductular cells close to hepatocytes. These deposites seem to be retained during the ductular transdifferentiation of hepatocytes. Expression of bile duct-type integrin subtypes and TGF beta 1 in neoductular cells are involved in the changing parenchymal/mesenchymal interplay during neoductogenesis, resulting in periductular basal membrane and periductular fibrosis. In FNH the ductular transdifferentiation of hepatocytes is integrated in the histogenesis of micronodules and portal tract equivalents of these tumor-like lesions. Ductular structures in hepatoblastomas and especially in combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinomas (CHCC) may reflect the common embryologic derivation of hepatocytes and biliary epithelia. Non-neoplastic liver tissue in resection specimens of our CHCC showed a lower rate of cirrhosis, and a significantly higher Ki 67-LI of neoductular cells compared to liver tissue in resection specimens of HCC and liver metastases. 3 of 10 CHCC had developed in alpha-1-AT-deficiency, in which this protease-inhibitor was predominantly retained in periportal hepatocytes. These findings in non-neoplastic tumor-bearing liver tissue suggest that CHCC include a special histogenic type of primary liver carcinoma which in analogy to some experimental liver tumors might develop from periportal parenchymal cells.