Bile canalicular barrier function and expression of tight-junctional molecules in rat hepatocytes during common bile duct ligation

Tight junctions of hepatocytes form the intercellular barrier between the blood circulation and bile flow. We focused on early stages of common bile duct ligation to observe changes in tight junctions without the irreversible changes seen after lengthy ligation. Common bile ducts of 12-week-old male rats were ligated for 6 h because, at this time point, no histological changes were observed. Serum bilirubin and bile acid levels began to increase 3 h after ligation and were restored to the control level immediately after surgical removal of the ligation. To examine the barrier of hapatocytes, horseradish peroxidase was injected via the femoral vein, and bile was collected for the first 10 min. A four-fold elevation of the secretion and concentration was observed in the bile of ligated rats compared with that of control animals. We next examined lanthanum permeability by perfusion fixation of the liver. At 6 h after ligation, both dilation of the bile canaliculi and partial loss of microvilli were commonly observed. There were dense deposits of lanthanum in almost all bile canaliculi of ligated rats. In control animals, neither dilation of the bile canaliculi nor loss of microvilli was detected, and only 44% of bile canaliculi exhibited deposits. An apparent increase of occludin mRNA expression was detected in livers after 6 h ligation, whereas the expression of claudin-1, -2, and -3 was not influenced by ligation. These results indicate that regulation of occludin gene expression is different from that of claudin-1, -2, and -3. The early phase of bile stasis employed in this study is thought to be an indispensable approach for understanding the precise regulation of tight junctions.