Intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells (IBEpiC) line the intrahepatic biliary tree, a complex three-dimensional network of tubular conduits of different diameters within the liver. They comprise only 3 - 5% of the total population of liver cells, yet produce as much as 40% of the daily output of bile. A number of studies have demonstrated that IBEpiC play an important role in maintaining, modifying and augmenting the composition of canalicular bile by a coordinated series of hormone-regulated secretary and absorptive processes [1]. IBEpiC also appear to have active immunologic roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses; for example, IBEpiC secrete chemokines and cytokines and serve to localize the immune response by expressing critical cell adhesion molecule [2]. Under basal conditions, IBEpiC are thought to be mitotically dormant. However, IBEpiC proliferate markedly in response to a number of perturbation [3].

HIBEpiC from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from human liver tissue. HIBEpiC are cryopreserved at passage two and delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 10⁵ cells in 1 ml volume. HIBEpiC are characterized by immunofluorescent method with antibodies to cytokeratin-18, -19 and vimentin. HIBEpiC are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast and fungi. HIBEpiC are guaranteed to further expand for 15 population doublings in the conditions provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories.

Reference
[1] Roberts, S. K. and LaRusso, N. F. (1994) Pathobiology of biliary epithelia. Curr. Opin. Gastroenterol. 10:526-533.
[2] Reynoso-Paz, S., Coppel, R. L., Mackay, I. R., Bass, N. M., Ansari, A. A. and Gershwin, M. E. (1999) The immunology of bile and biliary epithelium. Hepatology 30:351-357.
[3] Lunz III, J. G., Contrucci, S., Ruppert, K., Nurase, N., Fung, J. J., Starzl, T. E. and Demetris, A. J. (2001) Replicative senescence of biliary epithelial cells precedes bile duct loss in chronic liver allograft rejection. Am. J. Pathol. 158:1379-1390.