Iris E M de Jong, Mallory L Hunt, Dongning Chen, Yu Du, Jessica Llewellyn, Kapish Gupta, David Li, Dorothea Erxleben, Felipe Rivas, Adam R Hall, Emma E Furth, Ali Naji, Chengyang Liu, Abhishek Dhand, Jason A Burdick, Marcus G Davey, Alan W Flake, Robert J Porte, Pierre A Russo, J William Gaynor, Rebecca G Wells
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Biliary atresia (BA) is an obstructive cholangiopathy that initially affects the extrahepatic bile ducts (EHBDs) of neonates. The etiology is uncertain, but evidence points to a prenatal cause. Fetal tissues have increased levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), which plays an integral role in fetal wound healing. The objective of this study was to determine whether a program of fetal wound healing is part of the response to fetal EHBD injury. METHODS: Mouse, rat, sheep, and human EHBD samples were studied at different developmental time points...
August 21, 2023: Journal of Hepatology