Objective    To screen proteins associated with cholangiocarcinoma in human bile with proteomic techniques.     Methods    Bile specimens were collected from 15 inpatients

who were diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University

China

from March 2008 to October 2009

and 5 healthy persons. The bile specimens were purified with nonionic lipid removal reagent Cleanascite

TM

and ultrafiltration (molecular weight cutoff=10×10

3

). HPLC-CHIP-MS/MS was employed to identify the differentially expressed proteins in the purified bile specimens

and the results were analyzed with Spectrum Mill software.     Results    Compared with the bile specimens from the healthy persons

109 highly relia

ble proteins were detected in those from the inpatients with cholangiocarcinoma

12 of which were first reported in proteomic studies of bile. These 12 proteins were mainly associated with oncogenesis

proliferation

differentiation

metastasis

etc. of tumor cells.     Conclusion    The 12 proteins reported here are potential tumor markers of cholangiocarcinoma.