The abnormal expression of E-cadherin in intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells in biliary atresia and its relationship with apoptosis

Objective To explore the relationship between the expression of E-cadherin and the apoptosis in intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells in biliary atresia (BA). Methods The E-cadherin expression was demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining for the liver specimens from 38 children with BA and 16 normal children. The apoptotic intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells in these specimens were visualized by TdT-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and the apoptotic index (AI) was calculated from the percentage of apoptotic cells in total cells. Results The intensity of E-cadherin expression in bile duct epithelial cells in BA group was lower than that in the normal control group ( 0.33± 0.12 vs 0.62± 0.20, P 0.01). On the other hand, the AI in BA group was significant higher than that in control group ( 51.74± 19.93 vs 12.34± 19.32, P 0.01). An inverse correlation was detected between the intensity of E-cadherin and the AI in the liver from children with BA. Conclusions The abnormal decrease of E-cadherin may lead to an increase of the apoptosis of intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells in BA, resulting in developmental disorder of intrahepatic bile duct and ductal plate malformation in the liver.