Regeneration of extrahepatic bile duct--possibility to clinical application by recognition of the regenerative process.

The biliary epithelium is continuously exposed to highly cytotoxic bile acids and pathogens and thus is at persistent risk for injury. The monolayer mucosal epithelium protects the body from these dangers and once injured. The bile duct repair process essentially involves reconstruction of the bile duct with migrating cells, but there are many questions about the process. It is reported that implantation of a bioabsorbable polymer tube as a bypass graft into the extrahepatic bile duct resulted in bile duct regeneration in the graft site after the artificial duct had been degraded and absorbed. We briefly describe our findings on extrahepatic biliary tissue regeneration with the possibility for clinical applications in mind. The creation of this artificial bile duct may be able to promote the development of the treatment for biliary diseases.