Objective：To investigate the effect of arterio-portal shunt (APS) on intrahepatic bile duct and peribiliary plexus (PBP).
Methods：Sixty rats were divided into three groups: SHAM group,hepatic artery ligation (HAL) group and HAL+APS group. Serum biochemical tests, histological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to evaluate the pathological changes in portal area on d1,d7 and d30.
Results：(1)The serum biochemical test showed no significant difference between the three groups at 3 time points. (2) HAL induced inflammatory response in portal area, which was characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells, thickening of the wall of interlobular portal vein and degenerative changes of cholangiocytes, but the pathological changes returned to normal by day 30. The APS group showed a transient inflammatory response which was milder than that of the HAL group. (3)Microvessel count, apoptosis index and PCNA index of cholangiocyte showed no significant difference between the three groups.
Conclusions：APS can improve portal area inflammation caused by HAL and promote early recovery of liver damage.