Author/Authors :
francis, heather texas a m health science center - college of medicine, central texas veterans health care system, temple, usa , francis, heather texas a m health science center - college of medicine - division of research and education, scott white, Temple, usa , francis, heather texas a m health science center - college of medicine - department of medicine, division gastroenterology, Temple, USA , francis, heather scott white, texas a m health science center - college of medicine, scott white digestive disease research center, temple, usa , han, yuyan texas a m health science center - college of medicine - department of medicine, division of gastroenterology, Temple, USA , glaser, shannon texas a m health science center - college of medicine, scott white digestive disease research center, scott white, temple, usa , glaser, shannon texas a m health science center - college of medicine - department of medicine, division of gastroenterology, temple, usa , glaser, shannon texas a m health science center - college of medicine, central texas veterans health care system, Temple, USA , alpini, gianfranco texas a m health science center - college of medicine - department of medicine, division gastroenterology, Temple, USA , alpini, gianfranco scott white digestive disease research center, USA , alpini, gianfranco texas a m health science center - college of medicine, central texas veterans health care system, Temple, usa
Abstract :
The intrahepatic biliary epithelium is a three-dimensional tubular system lined bycholangiocytes, epithelial cells that in addition to modify ductal bile are also the targets of vanishing bile ductsyndromes (i.e., cholangiopathies) such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC) that are characterized by the damage/proliferation of cholangiocytes. Cholangiocyte proliferationis critical for the maintenance of the biliary mass and secretory function during the pathogenesis ofcholangiopathies. Proliferating cholangiocytes serve as a neuroendocrine compartment during theprogression of cholangiopathies, and as such secrete and respond to hormones, neurotransmitters andneuropeptides contributing to the autocrine and paracrine pathways that regulate biliary homeostasis. Thefocus of this review is to summarize the recent findings related to the role of melatonin in the modulation ofbiliary functions and liver damage in response to a number of insults. We first provide a general backgroundon the general function of cholangiocytes including their anatomic characteristics, their innervation andvascularization as well the role of these cells on secretory and proliferation events. After a background onthe synthesis and regulation of melatonin and its role on the maintenance of circadian rhythm, we will describe the specific effects of melatonin on biliary functions and liver damage. After a summary of the topicsdiscussed, we provide a paragraph on the future perspectives related to melatonin and liver functions.
