Cholangiocytes (Bile Duct Cells)

Lining the bile pipes

Bile is made by liver cells. It flows into tiny pipes called bile ducts. The ducts join together into bigger and bigger pipes, like the branches of a tree joining the trunk.

Cholangiocytes are the cells that line these pipes. In small ducts they are small and cube-shaped. In big ducts they are taller. They sit side by side in a ring, making the wall of the pipe.

Fine-tuning the bile

As bile flows past, cholangiocytes add water and bicarbonate. This makes the bile runnier and less acidic, so it flows well.

The bile then travels to the gallbladder and the small intestine, where it breaks fat into tiny drops so it can be digested.

Cholangiocyte quiz