The canals of Hering, or intrahepatic bile ductules, are part of the outflow system of
exocrine bile
Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bi ...
product from the liver. Liver stem cells are located in the canals of Hering.
Structure
They are found between the
bile canaliculi
Bile canaliculus (plural:bile canaliculi; also called bile capillaries) is a thin tube that collects bile secreted by hepatocytes. The bile canaliculi empty into a series of progressively larger bile ductules and ducts, which eventually become comm ...
and
interlobular bile ducts
The interlobular bile ducts (or interlobular ductules) carry bile in the liver between the Canals of Hering and the interlobar bile ducts. They are part of the interlobular portal triad and can be easily localized by looking for the much larger ...
near the outer edge of a
classic liver lobule.
Histology
Histologically, the cells of the ductule are described as
simple cuboidal epithelium
Simple cuboidal epithelium is a type of epithelium that consists of a single layer of cuboidal (cube-like) cells which have large, spherical and central nuclei.
Simple cuboidal epithelium is found on the surface of ovaries, the lining of nephro ...
, lined partially by
cholangiocytes
Cholangiocytes are the epithelial cells of the bile duct. They are cuboidal epithelium in the small interlobular bile ducts, but become columnar and HCO3:-secreting in larger bile ducts approaching the porta hepatis and the extrahepatic ducts. Th ...
and
hepatocytes
A hepatocyte is a cell of the main parenchymal tissue of the liver. Hepatocytes make up 80% of the liver's mass.
These cells are involved in:
* Protein synthesis
* Protein storage
* Transformation of carbohydrates
* Synthesis of cholesterol, ...
. They may not be readily visible but can be
differentially stained by cytokeratins CK19 and CK7.
Clinical relevance
The canals of Hering are destroyed early in
primary biliary cholangitis and may be primary sites of scarring in
methotrexate toxicity. Research has indicated the presence of intraorgan stem cells of the liver that can proliferate in disease states, so-called oval cells.
History
They are named for
Ewald Hering
Karl Ewald Konstantin Hering (5 August 1834 – 26 January 1918) was a German physiologist who did much research into color vision, binocular perception and eye movements. He proposed opponent color theory in 1892.
Born in Alt-Gersdorf, Ki ...
.
[Hering E. Uber den Bau der Wirbelthierleber. Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie 1867;3:88–118]
References
{{Reflist
Hepatology