Topic Highlight
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Oct 15, 2010; 1(4): 118-128
Published online Oct 15, 2010. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v1.i4.118
Immune-mediated bile duct injury: The case of primary biliary cirrhosis
Carlo Selmi, Andrea Affronti, Laura Ferrari, Pietro Invernizzi
Carlo Selmi, Pietro Invernizzi, Division of Internal Medicine and Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano 20089, Italy
Carlo Selmi, Andrea Affronti, Laura Ferrari, Department of Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Rozzano 20089, Italy
Author contributions: Selmi C and Invernizzi P performed the major literature search and wrote large part of the manuscript; and Affronti A and Ferrari L contributed to the literature search and wrote part of the immunopathology section.
Correspondence to: Carlo Selmi, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, via A Manzoni 56, Rozzano, MI 20089, Italy. carlo.selmi@unimi.it
Telephone: +39-02-82245129 Fax: +39-02-82244590
Received: March 10, 2010
Revised: August 8, 2010
Accepted: August 15, 2010
Published online: October 15, 2010
Abstract

Autoimmune cholangitis would be the appropriate name to define the immune-mediated bile duct injury following the breakdown of tolerance to mitochondrial proteins and the appearance of serum autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells. Nevertheless, the condition is universally named primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The disease etiology and pathogenesis remain largely unknown despite the proposed lines of evidence. One twin study and numerous epidemiology reports suggest that both a susceptible genetic background and environmental factors determine disease onset while a recent genome-wide association study proposed highly significant associations with several common genetic polymorphisms in subgroups of patients. Specific infectious agents and chemicals may contribute to the disease onset and perpetuation in a genetically susceptible host, possibly through molecular mimicry. Importantly, several murine models have been proposed and include strains in which PBC is genetically determined or induced by immunization with chemicals and bacteria. From a pathogenetic standpoint, new exciting data have demonstrated the unique apoptotic features of bile duct cells that allow the mitochondrial autoantigens to be taken up in their intact form within apoptotic blebs. We are convinced that the application of the most recent molecular techniques will soon provide developments in PBC etiology and pathogenesis with likely implications in diagnostics and therapeutics.

Keywords: Autoimmune cholangitis; Anti-mitochondrial antibody; Epithelial cell apoptosis; Innate immunity