CorpusHuman Anatomy
DigestiveDuct

Bile canaliculi

Canaliculi biliferi

Also known as: bile canaliculus, canals of Hering, bile ductules

Bile canaliculi are the smallest bile channels, about 1 µm wide. They are formed by grooves in the membranes of neighbouring hepatocytes and sealed by tight junctions, and they are where the biliary tree begins.

Show on body map Liver Lobule

Overview

A canaliculus has no wall of its own. Its lumen is the space between the apical (canalicular) membranes of two or more adjacent hepatocytes, sealed on each side by tight junctions. Microvilli project into it. A belt of actin and myosin around it contracts rhythmically to move bile along.

Canaliculi form a three-dimensional "chicken-wire" network along the hepatocyte plates. Bile in them flows towards the portal tracts, opposite to the blood in the sinusoids. At the edge of the lobule they drain into the canals of Hering, short channels lined partly by hepatocytes and partly by cholangiocytes, which also house hepatic progenitor cells. From there bile passes to the bile ductules and the interlobular bile ducts of the portal triads. These join into progressively larger septal ducts and finally the right and left hepatic ducts.

Location

Between adjacent hepatocytes in every liver plate.

Parts & subdivisions

  1. Canals of Hering
    Junction between canaliculi and ductules, and a niche for liver progenitor cells.
  2. Interlobular bile ducts
    Cholangiocyte-lined ducts in the portal triads.
  3. Right and left hepatic ducts
    Drain the functional right and left livers and unite to form the common hepatic duct.

Anatomy

Histology

Visible by electron microscopy or with special stains (CD10, polyclonal CEA) as a fine network between hepatocytes. Bile plugs are seen in cholestasis.

Function

  • Collect primary bile secreted by hepatocytes.
  • Carry bile to the ductal system.

Clinical significance

Cholestasis

Obstruction or failure of transporters causes bile to stagnate as canalicular plugs. When tight junctions open, conjugated bilirubin and bile acids leak back into blood, causing jaundice and pruritus. Causes include drugs (chlorpromazine, co-amoxiclav, anabolic steroids), sepsis, pregnancy and inherited BSEP or MDR3 defects (PFIC).

Compiled from standard anatomy and physiology references — see the Digestive System sources. For education only; not medical advice.