Lipoteichoic acid may affect the pathogenesis of bile duct damage in primary biliary cirrhosis.

Aim: Intrahepatic bile ducts are the targets for inflammation in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but their pathogenesis is not known. Gram-positive bacterial DNA was detected recently in gallbladder bile of PBC patients. In the present study, we assessed the possible pathological role of lipoteichoic acid (LTA), the gram-positive bacterial cell wall component, in PBC.