Introduction to the biliary tract, the gallbladder, and gallstones

This paper serves to introduce a topical section of fifteen invited original research contributions dealing with normal and pathological development of the human biliary tract. This section also includes comparative anatomy of the gallbladder and the cystic duct as well as, the formation of gallstone. This series of reports have used advanced microscopic and ancillary techniques to study adaptative changes in gallbladder epithelial cell changes regarding permeability, renewal, mucous secretion as well as cholesterol uptake and nucleation. Several contributions deal with the blood and lymphatic drainage of the gallbladder. The gallbladder contractility is clarified by recent findings about its innervation, elegantly demonstrated and supported by complementary immunohistochemical and neurophysiological techniques. In vivo models for production of cholelithiasis in the ground squirrel and the Syrian hamster are introduced. Recent in vitro cellular and molecular models have substantially increased the understanding of biliary tract calculi formation. Finally, a survey and new data about progesterone gene regulation of both cholesterol metabolism and gallstone formation obtained in the Syrian hamster model are compared with cholelithogenesis in human.