病毒感染 / 毒素暴露:探究病毒性病因的多项研究主要关注呼吸道肠道病毒、轮状病毒及其他嗜肝病毒。至今仍无法确认何种病毒可致病。基于人体抗体研究、免疫组织化学、病毒颗粒电子显微镜检查及断奶小鼠模型的相似性研究,3 型呼吸道肠道病毒致病可能性最大。[19]Morecki R, Glaser JH, Cho S, et al. Biliary atresia and reovirus type 3 infection. N Engl J Med. 1984;310:1610.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6328299?tool=bestpractice.com[20]Morecki R, Glaser JH, Cho S, et al. Biliary atresia and reovirus type 3 infection. N Engl J Med. 1982;307:481-484.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6285193?tool=bestpractice.com[21]Morecki R, Glaser JH, Johson AB, et al. Detection of reovirus type 3 in the porta hepatis of an infant with extrahepatic biliary atresia: ultrastructural and immunocytochemical study. Hepatology. 1984;4:1137-1142.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6389303?tool=bestpractice.com[22]Glaser JH, Balistreri WF, Morecki R. Role of reovirus type 3 in persistent infantile cholestasis. J Pediatr. 1984;105:912-915.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6502341?tool=bestpractice.com[23]Brown WR, Sokol RJ, Levin MJ, et al. Lack of correlation between infection with reovirus 3 and extrahepatic biliary atresia or neonatal hepatitis. J Pediatr. 1988;113:670-676.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2845040?tool=bestpractice.com[24]Bangaru B, Morecki R, Glaser JH, et al. Comparative studies of biliary atresia in the human newborn and reovirus-induced cholangitis in weanling mice. Lab Invest. 1980;43:456-462.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7421127?tool=bestpractice.com[25]Stanley NF, Joske RA. Animal model of human disease. Chronic biliary obstruction. Animal model: chronic biliary obstruction caused by reovirus type 3. Am J Pathol. 1975;80:185-188.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1912832/pdf/amjpathol00458-0191.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1155582?tool=bestpractice.com[26]Rosenberg DP, Morecki R, Lollini LO, et al. Extrahepatic biliary atresia in a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Hepatology. 1983;3:577-580.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6862370?tool=bestpractice.com[27]Tyler KL, Sokol RJ, Oberhaus SM, et al. Detection of reovirus RNA in hepatobiliary tissues from patients with extrahepatic biliary atresia and choledochal cysts. Hepatology. 1998;27:1475-1482.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hep.510270603/pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9620316?tool=bestpractice.com[28]Steele MI, Marshall CM, Lloyd RE, et al. Reovirus 3 not detected by reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction analysis of preserved tissue from infants with cholestatic liver disease. Hepatology. 1995;21:697-702.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7533124?tool=bestpractice.com一些研究已发现导致初生羔羊胆道闭锁的一种植物毒素。[29]Lorent K, Gong W, Koo KA, et al. Identification of a plant isoflavonoid that causes biliary atresia. Sci Transl Med. 2015;7:286ra67.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784984/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25947162?tool=bestpractice.com有必要进一步开展研究以确定毒素暴露对于人类胆道闭锁的可能作用。
形态形成缺陷:在胚胎发育关键期可能由毒素引起。最有力的证据来自胚胎型疾病患儿。出生后不久即可发生黄疸,通常伴随先天性异常。[3]Silveira TR, Salzano FM, Howard ER, et al. Congenital structural abnormalities in biliary atresia: evidence for etiopathogenic heterogeneity and therapeutic implications. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1991;80:1192-1199.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1785291?tool=bestpractice.com[4]Karrer FM, Hall RJ, Lilly JR. Biliary atresia and the polysplenia syndrome. J Pediatr Surg. 1991;26:524-527.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2061801?tool=bestpractice.com[5]Jacquemin E, Cresteil D, Raynaud N, et al. CFCI gene mutation and biliary atresia with polysplenia syndrome. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2002;34:326-327.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11964968?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Kataria R, Kataria A, Gupta DK. Spectrum of congenital anomalies associated with biliary atresia. Indian J Pediatr. 1996;63:651-654.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10830034?tool=bestpractice.com[7]Casey B. Genetics of human situs abnormalities. Am J Med Genet. 2001;101:356-358.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11471159?tool=bestpractice.com[8]Davenport M, Tizzard SA, Underhill J, et al. The biliary atresia splenic malformation syndrome: a 28-year single-center retrospective study. J Pediatr. 2006;149:393-400.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16939755?tool=bestpractice.com
遗传素质:该疾病并不符合孟德尔遗传学规律,但遗传因素可能有一定促发作用。与组织相容性抗原 HLA-B12(A9-B5 和 A28-B35 单倍型)相关性增加及早期发病均提示对获得性病损存在遗传易感性。[30]Silveira TR, Salzano FM, Donaldson PT, et al. Association between HLA and extrahepatic biliary atresia. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1993;16:114-117.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450374?tool=bestpractice.com[31]Kobayashi, H, Puri P, O'Briain DS, et al. Hepatic overexpression of MHC class II antigens and macrophage associated antigens (CD68) in patients with biliary atresia of poor prognosis. J Pediatr Surg. 1997;32:590-593.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9126761?tool=bestpractice.com家族内同时发生胆道闭锁和新生儿肝炎的报道证实了共同病原特征的可能性,但结局主要由病损的持续时间及受累严重程度所决定。[18]Smith BM, Laberge JM, Schreiber R, et al. Familial biliary atresia in three siblings including twins. J Pediatr Surg. 1991;26:1331-1333.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1812269?tool=bestpractice.com[32]Hart MH, Kaufman SS, Vanderhoof JA, et al. Neonatal hepatitis and extrahepatic biliary atresia associated with cytomegalovirus infection in twins. Am J Dis Child. 1991;145:302-305.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1848391?tool=bestpractice.com[33]Danesino C, Spadoni E, Buzzi A. Familial biliary atresia. Am J Med Genet. 1999;85:195.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10406679?tool=bestpractice.com[34]Ando K, Miyano T, Fujimoto T, et al. Sibling occurrence of biliary atresia and biliary dilatation. J Pediatr Surg. 1996;31:1302-1304.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8887110?tool=bestpractice.com全基因组关联分析研究已表明 ADD3 基因是胆道闭锁的一个可能易感因素。[35]Cheng G, Tang CS, Wong EH, et al. Common genetic variants regulating ADD3 gene expression alter biliary atresia risk. J Hepatol. 2013;59:1285-1291.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23872602?tool=bestpractice.com[36]Garcia-Barceló MM, Yeung MY, Miao XP, et al. Genome-wide association study identifies a susceptibility locus for biliary atresia on 10q24.2. Hum Mol Genet. 2010;19:2917-2925.https://academic.oup.com/hmg/article/19/14/2917/583733/Genome-wide-association-study-identifies-ahttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20460270?tool=bestpractice.com
产前循环缺陷:胆管仅从肝动脉循环获得血供。肝移植时肝动脉血流中断可导致胆管损伤,亦如胎羊模型所见。[37]Pickett LK, Briggs HC. Biliary obstruction secondary to hepatic vascular ligation in fetal sheep. J Pediatr Surg. 1969;4:95-101.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5779282?tool=bestpractice.com[38]Klippel CH. A new theory of biliary atresia. J Pediatr Surg. 1972;7:651-654.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4635520?tool=bestpractice.com[39]Ho CW, Shioda K, Shirasaki K, et al. The pathogenesis of biliary atresia: a morphological study of the hepatobiliary system and the hepatic artery. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1993;16:53-60.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8433241?tool=bestpractice.com
免疫或自身免疫性失调:该疾病的动物模型证实了自身免疫的作用。胆管上皮特异性自体反应性 T 细胞足以引起小鼠胆管炎症,造成相似表型。疾病小鼠模型中采用的肝脏 T 细胞转移可引起免疫缺陷小鼠胆管特异性疾病。[40]Mack CL. The pathogenesis of biliary atresia: evidence for a virus-induced autoimmune disease. Semin Liver Dis. 2007;27:233-242.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17682970?tool=bestpractice.com[41]Bezerra JA, Tiao G, Ryckman FC, et al. Genetic induction of proinflammatory immunity in children with biliary atresia. Lancet. 2002;360:1653-1659.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12457789?tool=bestpractice.com[42]Bezerra JA. The next challenge in pediatric cholestasis: deciphering the pathogenesis of biliary atresia. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2006;43(suppl 1):S23-S29.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16819397?tool=bestpractice.com研究者正在人体组织中进一步验证此结论。