STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF INTRAHEPATIC BILE DUCTS AND AGE-RELATED MORPHOMETRIC VARIABILITY OF INTRAEPITHELIAL LYMPHOCYTES

Authors:

Abstract:

The insufficient study of the age-related characteristics of lymphoid structures within the intrahepatic biliary tract under normal morphological conditions complicates a comprehensive understanding of the liver's immune defense mechanisms. This research was conducted on 140 cadaveric samples using histological, electron microscopic, and morphometric methods. The reliability of the results was validated through complex biostatistical analysis employing Fisher, Kruskal-Wallis, and Student-Bonferroni criteria. The study provides a detailed description of the hierarchical structure of the biliary excretory system, ranging from bile capillaries formed from the plasmolemma of hepatocytes to the major hepatic ducts. The number of intraepithelial lymphocytes in the intrahepatic bile ducts peaks during early childhood and progressively declines toward senescence. These findings facilitate an objective assessment of donor organ quality in transplantology and allow for the differentiation of age-related immune involution from pathological processes.

Keywords:

intrahepatic bile ducts intraepithelial lymphocytes age-related variability morphometric indicators gender differences

References:

1. Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. Cellular and molecular immunology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2022. 618 p.
2. Aliyeva NH, Huseynov BM. Morphology and age-related, regional features of morphometric indicators of lymphoid structures of human intrahepatic ducts in norm. World Med Biol. 2025;(2):150–154. doi: 10.26724/2079-8334-2025-2-92-150-154.
3. Burt AD, Ferrell LD, Hübscher SG, editors. MacSween's pathology of the liver. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2023. 1134 p. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-91675-4.00001-0.
4. Gafarov IA. Biostatistics. Baku: Muallim; 2021. 238 p.
5. Gill RM, Theise ND. Rappaport, Glisson, Hering, and Mall—champions of liver microanatomy: microscopic and ultramicroscopic anatomy of the liver into the modern age. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken). 2021;18(1):76–92. doi: 10.1002/cld.1145.
6. Haldar A. Notes on histological techniques. Ahmedabad: Sara Book Publication; 2019. 123 p.
7. Hartline J. Simple stain with cationic dyes. In: Microbiology laboratory manual. 2nd ed. LibreTexts; 2024. Available from: https://libretexts.org.
8. Kryvoruchko IA, Ivanova YV, Teslenko SM, Goncharova NN. Current aspects of epidemiology and pathogenesis of cholelithiasis. Kharkiv Surg Sch. 2020;2(101):34–39. doi: 10.37699/2308-7005.2.2020.06.
9. Lan T, Qian S, Tang C, Jiao J, Tang Q, Ma L, et al. Role of immune cells in biliary repair. Front Immunol. 2022;13:866040. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.866040.
10. Liovet JM, Kelley RK, Villanueva A, Singal AG, Roberts LR, Meyer T, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021;7(1):6. doi: 10.1038/s41572-020-00240-3.
11. Patel H, Jepsen J. Gallstone disease: common questions and answers. Am Fam Physician. 2024;109(6):518–524. doi: 10.12788/afp.2024.0109.
12. Trefts E, Gannon M, Wasserman DH. Microscopic anatomy of the liver. Compr Physiol. 2017;7(1):94–101. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c160009.
13. Valle JW, Kelley RK, Nervi B, et al. Biliary tract cancers: current knowledge, clinical candidates and future perspectives. Cancer Manag Res. 2019;11:2647–2663. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S188452.
14. Vithayathil M, Khan SA. Current epidemiology of cholangiocarcinoma in Western countries. J Hepatol. 2022;77(6):1690–1698. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.07.022.
15. Yeroshenko GA, Shevchenko KV, Yakushko OS. Structural organization of the liver and biliary tract under the influence of various factors. World Med Biol. 2018;14(2):189–194. doi: 10.26724/2079-8334-2018-2-64-189-194.

Publication:

«World of Medicine and Biology» Vol. 22 No. 97 (2026), pp. 201-205
UDC 611.367-018-053

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26724/2079-8334-2026-3-97-201-205