Cell proliferation in the human gallbladder epithelium: effect of distension.

DNA synthesis activity in the epithelium of the human gallbladder was studied through in vitro labelling of mucosal specimens with 3H-thymidine and autoradiography. The specimens were taken at the time of a surgical operation. Eight 'normal' gallbladders and six distended gallbladders from patients with carcinomatous obstruction of the common bile duct were examined. Proliferative activity was very low in the normal and significantly higher in the distended gallbladders.