Current therapies and novel approaches for biliary diseases

Figure 1 Mast cell infiltration and its role in biliary fibrosis. HSC: Hepatic stellate cell; ECM: Extracellular matrix; IBDM: Intrahepatic bile duct mass; TGF-β1: Transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Figure 2 A bile duct consists of cholangiocytes in normal liver (A) and ductular reaction with reactive ductular cells in biliary diseases (B) (arrows indicate bile ducts).

Figure 3 Hepatic ACE2 gene expression and fibrosis in a short-term model of biliary fibrosis with rAAV2/8-ACE2 therapy. ACE2 gene expression was significantly increased in ACE2-treated mice with biliary fibrosis compared to BDL mice injected with a control human serum albumin vector (rAAV2/8-HSA). rAAV2/8-ACE2 gene therapy markedly reduced the liver fibrosis in BDL mice compared to mice injected with rAAV2/8-HSA.