PEDIATRICS Vol. 75 No. 3 March 1985, pp. 443-455
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McDonagh, A. F.
Right arrow Articles by Lightner, D. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McDonagh, A. F.
Right arrow Articles by Lightner, D. A.

`Like a Shrivelled Blood Orange'—Bilirubin, Jaundice, and Phototherapy

Antony F. McDonagh PhD1 and David A. Lightner PhD1

1 From the Department of Medicine and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco and Department of Chemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Nevada, Reno

The biochemistry of bilirubin is reviewed with particular reference to newborn infants. The formation, properties, and metabolism of bilirubin are summarized and the importance of molecular shape, hydrogen-bonding, and polarity on the biologic disposition of bilirubin is emphasized. The chemical basis for the subtle influence of visible (blue) light on bilirubin structure and metabolism is explained, and recent concepts of the mechanism of phototherapy are presented. A glossary of current jargon is appended.

Key Words: bilirubin • bilirubin glucuronides • lumirubin • neonatal jaundice • phototherapy

Submitted on August 6, 1984
Accepted on October 19, 1984




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Pharmacol. Rev.Home page
N. G. Abraham and A. Kappas
Pharmacological and Clinical Aspects of Heme Oxygenase
Pharmacol. Rev., March 1, 2008; 60(1): 79 - 127.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia
Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation
Pediatrics, July 1, 2004; 114(1): 297 - 316.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Pharmacol. Rev.Home page
F. A. D. T. G. Wagener, H.-D. Volk, D. Willis, N. G. Abraham, M. P. Soares, G. J. Adema, and C. G. Figdor
Different Faces of the Heme-Heme Oxygenase System in Inflammation
Pharmacol. Rev., September 1, 2003; 55(3): 551 - 571.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
D. A. Lightner, D. L. Holmes, and A. F. McDonagh
On the Acid Dissociation Constants of Bilirubin and Biliverdin
J. Biol. Chem., February 2, 1996; 271(5): 2397 - 2405.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
D. Nogales and D. A. Lightner
On The Structure of Bilirubin in Solution
J. Biol. Chem., January 6, 1995; 270(1): 73 - 77.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ScienceHome page
R Stocker, Y Yamamoto, A. McDonagh, A. Glazer, and B. Ames
Bilirubin is an antioxidant of possible physiological importance
Science, February 27, 1987; 235(4792): 1043 - 1046.
[Abstract] [PDF]