摘要
Estrogen receptors (ER) in cholangiocytes of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients and their relationship with cell proliferation and death were evaluated. Liver biopsies from PBC patients with different histological stages were investigated by immunohistochemistry for ER-αand -β, cytokeratin-19, proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA), Fas and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase end labelling (TUNEL). Normal livers and livers from primary sclerosing cholangitis and alcoholic cirrhosis were investigated as controls. ER-αand -βwere observed in cholangiocytes of PBC patients but not in normal liver. In PBC, positivity for ER-βwas high (50-65%) in all histological stages while, positivity for ER-αincreased from 1%in stage I to 12%in stage III (positivity correlated and colocalized in the same cell with PCNA). In stage IV of PBC, cholangiocytes were negative for ER-αin association with a lower PCNA positivity and with maximal degree of ductopenia. ER-αpositivity in cholangiocytes of PBC patients was markedly lower than primary sclerosing cholangitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. ER are expressed in PBC and other pathologies associated with cholangiocyte proliferation but not in normal subjects. The low expression of ER-αin PBC and their disappearance in the advanced histological stages suggests that an estrogenic deficiency could favour the evolution of this disease toward ductopenia.
Estrogen receptors (ER) in cholangiocytes of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients and their relationship with cell proliferation and death were evaluated. Liver biopsies from PBC patients with different histological stages were investigated by immunohistochemistry for ER-αand -β, cytokeratin-19, proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA), Fas and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase end labelling (TUNEL). Normal livers and livers from primary sclerosing cholangitis and alcoholic cirrhosis were investigated as controls. ER-αand -βwere observed in cholangiocytes of PBC patients but not in normal liver. In PBC, positivity for ER-βwas high (50-65%) in all histological stages while, positivity for ER-αincreased from 1%in stage I to 12%in stage III (positivity correlated and colocalized in the same cell with PCNA). In stage IV of PBC, cholangiocytes were negative for ER-αin association with a lower PCNA positivity and with maximal degree of ductopenia. ER-αpositivity in cholangiocytes of PBC patients was markedly lower than primary sclerosing cholangitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. ER are expressed in PBC and other pathologies associated with cholangiocyte proliferation but not in normal subjects. The low expression of ER-αin PBC and their disappearance in the advanced histological stages suggests that an estrogenic deficiency could favour the evolution of this disease toward ductopenia.
