Folia Parasitologica 61[6] 512-522 (2014) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2014.063

Bile canalicular changes and defective bile secretion in Opisthorchis viverrini-infected hamsters

Lakhanawan Charoensuk^1,6, Porntip Pinlaor^2,6, Umawadee Laothong^1,6, Puangrat Yongvanit^3,6, Chawalit Pairojkul^4,6, Yukifumi Nawa⁵, Somchai Pinlaor^1,6

¹ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand;

² Centre for Research and Development in Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Thailand;

³ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand;

⁴ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand;

⁵ Research Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand;

⁶ Liver Fluke and Cholangiocarcinoma Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand This article contains supporting information (Table S1) online at http://folia.paru.cas.cz/suppl/2014-61-512.pdf

Infection with the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini (Digenea) (Poirier, 1886) causes bile duct injury and periductal fibrosis by chronic overproduction of inflammatory-mediators and eventually results in cholangiocarcinoma development. While extensive research works have been done on O. viverrini infection-associated changes of bile ducts and periductal fibrosis, little attention was paid on morphological and biochemical changes of the bile canaliculi (BC), the origin of bile flow. We aimed to investigate the morphological and functional alterations of BC in the liver of hamsters infected with O. viverrini at one and three months post-infection. Ultrastructural changes of BC showed dilatation of BC and significant reduction of the density of microvilli as early as at one month post-infection. Immunohistochemistry revealed that CD10, a BC marker, expression was reduced early as one month post-infection. The mRNA expression of the genes encoding molecules related to bile secretion including bile acid uptake transporters (slc10a1 and slco1a1), bile acid dependent (abcb11) and independent (abcc2) bile flow and bile acid biosynthesis (cyp7a1 and cyp27a1) were significantly decreased at one month post-infection in association with the reduction of bile volume. In contrast, the expression of the mRNA of bile acid regulatory genes (fxr and shp-1) was significantly increased. These changes essentially persisted up to three months post-infection. In conclusion, O. viverrini infection induces morphological and functional changes of BC in association with the decrease of bile volume.

Keywords: liver fluke, gall bladder, morphological alterations, ultrastructure, bile secretion-related genes, bile volume, CD10

Received: April 29, 2014; Accepted: July 11, 2014; Prepublished online: October 21, 2014; Published: December 4, 2014  Show citation