bilirubin
Bilirubin (BR) (adopted from German, originally bili, for bile, plus ruber, Latin for red) is a red-orange compound that occurs as the reduction product of biliverdin, a breakdown product of heme. It is further broken down in the colon to urobilinogen, most of which becomes stercobilin, causing the brown color of feces. Some unconverted urobilinogen, metabolised to urobilin, provides the straw-yellow color in urine.
AI overview
Bilirubin is a red-orange compound created when your body breaks down heme, a component of blood, and it gets further processed into other substances that give your feces and urine their characteristic colors. Understanding bilirubin levels matters because abnormal amounts can indicate liver problems or other health issues, since the body relies on properly processing this compound to maintain normal bodily functions.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
61,203 papers- Bilirubin as a metabolic hormone: the physiological relevance of low levels.American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism · 2021
- Bilirubin in clinical practice: a review.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2008
- Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and the role of unbound bilirubin.The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians · 2022
- Bilirubin: A Promising Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021
- Disrupted bilirubin metabolism and gut microbiome dysregulation: A link to cardio-renal-hepatic-metabolic health in obstructive sleep apnea.Life sciences · 2025
via PubMed
Article
24 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Function
- Metabolism
- Toxicity
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Jaundice
- Kernicterus
- Health benefits
- Blood tests
- Total bilirubin
- Indirect (unconjugated)
- Direct
- Conjugated
- Delta bilirubin
- Half-life
- Measurement methods
- Blood levels
- Urine tests
- History
- Notable people
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Bilirubin (BR) (adopted from German, originally bili, for bile, plus ruber, Latin for red) is a red-orange compound that occurs as the reduction product of biliverdin, a breakdown product of heme. It is further broken down in the colon to urobilinogen, most of which becomes stercobilin, causing the brown color of feces. Some unconverted urobilinogen, metabolised to urobilin, provides the straw-yellow color in urine.
Although bilirubin is usually found in animals rather than plants, at least one plant species, Strelitzia nicolai, is known to contain the pigment.