The role of bile pigments in health and disease: effects on cell signaling, cytotoxicity and cytoprotection

239.7K

views

53

authors

20

articles

Editorial

13 July 2012

The Role of Bile Pigments in Health and Disease: Effects on Cell Signaling, Cytotoxicity, and Cytoprotection

18,976 views

19 citations

Editors

2

Jaime Kapitulnik

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

University of Rochester

Impact

Fetching...

About

Degradation of heme involves its conversion to biliverdin by heme oxygenase followed by reduction of biliverdin to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. There is ample evidence for the pleiotropic functions of biliverdin reductase in cell signaling and regulation of gene expression. This enzyme plays a major role in glucose uptake and the stress response. Bilirubin has been shown to behave as a "double-edged sword". It can exert either cytotoxic or cytoprotective effects, depending on the blood and/or tissue concentration of its free fraction, the nature of the target cell or tissue, and the cellular redox state. Its antioxidant effect is the basis for the proposed cardioprotective effect of relatively low blood concentrations of bilirubin in humans with moderate hyperbilirubinemia. This Special Topic forum is intended to serve as a platform for updating information and presenting advances in basic and clinical research in the above and related subjects.

Degradation of heme involves its conversion to biliverdin by heme oxygenase followed by reduction of biliverdin to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. There is ample evidence for the pleiotropic functions of biliverdin reductase in cell signaling and regulation of gene expression. This enzyme plays a major role in glucose uptake and the stress response. Bilirubin has been shown to behave as a "double-edged sword". It can exert either cytotoxic or cytoprotective effects, depending on the blood and/or tissue concentration of its free fraction, the nature of the target cell or tissue, and the cellular redox state. Its antioxidant effect is the basis for the proposed cardioprotective effect of relatively low blood concentrations of bilirubin in humans with moderate hyperbilirubinemia. This Special Topic forum is intended to serve as a platform for updating information and presenting advances in basic and clinical research in the above and related subjects.

Download ebook

Share

Editors

Jaime Kapitulnik

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

University of Rochester

Impact

239,661 Total views

194,279 Article views

40,493 Article downloads

4,889 Topic views

Published In

Journal Thumbnail

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Drug Metabolism and Transport

About Frontiers Research Topics

With their unique mixes of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author.

Suggest a topic