Peribiliary and colonic crypt glands in primary sclerosing cholangitis and inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis: New research perspectives

Figure 1 Schematic representation of the structural organization and cellular composition of colonic crypts, including the main cell types: Colonocytes, progenitor cells, goblet cells, and stem cells. The figure demonstrates the tubular organization of the crypt and the distribution of different cell populations.

Figure 2  Schematic representation of the location of intramural and extramural peribiliary glands in the large bile ducts.

Figure 3 Density of peribiliary glands distribution in the biliary tree. Dark green indicates high peribiliary glands (PBGs) density, light green indicates areas with fewer PBGs, and uncolored branches of the biliary tree indicate the absence of PBGs.

Figure 4 Schematic illustration of the pathogenesis underlying the development of the main clinical and laboratory manifestations in primary sclerosing cholangitis. PSC: Primary sclerosing cholangitis; PBGs: Peribiliary glands; Hh: Hedgehog; GP2: Glycoprotein 2; IgA: Immunoglobulin A; pANCA: Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; ANCA: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies.