Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Bilirubin (BR) (from the Latin for "red bile") is a red-orange compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates.This catabolism is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the destruction of aged or abnormal red blood cells. [3]
Bilirubin derives from hemoglobin by glucuronidation. Bile tends to be alkaline on average. The pH of common duct bile (7.50 to 8.05) is higher than that of the corresponding gallbladder bile (6.80 to 7.65). Bile in the gallbladder becomes more acidic the longer a person goes without eating, though resting slows this fall in pH. [12]
Bilirubin is conjugated with glucuronic acid in the liver by the enzyme glucuronyltransferase, making it soluble in water. Much of it goes into the bile and thus out into the small intestine. Although 20% of the secreted bilirubinoid bile is reabsorbed by the small intestine, [2] conjugated
Bile is secreted by the liver into small ducts that join to form the common hepatic duct. [4] Between meals, secreted bile is stored in the gallbladder. [5] During a meal, the bile is secreted into the duodenum (part of the small intestine) to rid the body of waste stored in the bile as well as aid in the absorption of dietary fats and oils. [5]
Blockage or obstruction of the bile duct by gallstones, scarring from injury, or cancer prevents the bile from being transported to the intestine and the active ingredient in the bile instead accumulates in the blood. This condition results in jaundice, where the skin and eyes become yellow from the bilirubin in the blood. This condition also ...
Bilirubin, a yellow bilin, is a breakdown product of heme Bilins , bilanes or bile pigments are biological pigments formed in many organisms as a metabolic product of certain porphyrins . Bilin (also called bilichrome) was named as a bile pigment of mammals , but can also be found in lower vertebrates , invertebrates , as well as red algae ...
The bile components that form gallstones include cholesterol, bile salts, and bilirubin. [2] Gallstones formed mainly from cholesterol are termed cholesterol stones, and those formed mainly from bilirubin are termed pigment stones. [2] [3] Gallstones may be suspected based on symptoms. [4] Diagnosis is then typically confirmed by ultrasound. [2]
Urobilin is generated from the degradation of heme, which is first degraded through biliverdin to bilirubin. Bilirubin is then excreted as bile, which is further degraded by microbes present in the large intestine to urobilinogen. The enzyme responsible for the degradation is bilirubin reductase, which was identified in 2024.