Cold storage and ischemia-reperfusion injury during liver transplantation influences epithelial architecture of the bile duct

Introduction: Biliary complications remain a major cause of graft failure after liver transplantation. In part, these problems result from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Between biliary epithelial cells tight junction proteins play an essential role for permeability and barrier function. Our aim was to examine the influence of cold storage and ischemia-reperfusion in liver transplantation on biliary epithelial cell architecture. Material and Methods: We examined common bile ducts from liver grafts immediately after organ explantation, and following reperfusion of the transplanted liver. Healthy bile ducts served a…