About this Research Topic
Bilirubin is a small molecule responsible for the yellow colour of human serum. Under certain disease conditions, serum bilirubin increases up to a level that exceeds the excretory capacity of the liver and shows itself as jaundice, i.e. a yellowish colour of sclera and skin.
A number of congenital diseases causing bilirubin abnormalities together with a vast body of experimental studies have helped understanding the molecular pathways that concur to bilirubin biogenesis, its transport in blood and elimination in the bile.
Nevertheless, there are aspects of the biochemistry and pharmacology of bilirubin that are still emerging or are yet to be discovered. The aim of this Research Topic is to serve the need of deepening our understanding of the fundamental aspects of bilirubin biochemistry and pharmacology.
In fact, the test of serum bilirubin is included in the set of serum biochemical parameters that are routinely assessed in clinical and veterinary medicine. It is important to better understand the biological mechanisms that determine the endpoint values and be prepared to introduce innovations in the way serum bilirubin is measured.
Furthermore, modest changes in serum bilirubin, such as those observed in subjects bearing Gilbert’s syndrome or under certain life-style conditions, deserve being followed at the clinical level and understood in detail, because they could turn to be predictive of personal disease risk.
The molecular mechanisms by which bilirubin modulates cell equilibria are highlighted in a contiguous Research Topic titled The role of bile pigments in health and disease: effects on cell signaling, cytotoxicity and cytoprotection, edited by J. Kapitulnik and M. D. Maines (DOI: 10.3389/978-2-88919-044-7).
This Research Topic complements with the Research Topic on bile pigments. It will have a core section on BILIRUBIN BIOCHEMISTRY, with four cornerstones:
• Synthesis
• Membrane Transport
• Blood Transport
• Metabolism and Excretion by the Liver
- welcomed contributions include, but are not limited to-
• Properties of the bilirubin-flavonoid transporter bilitranslocase (TC2.A.65.1.1)
• Tools to measure bilirubin. Chemical analysis of bilirubin in water environment
• Bilirubin as a normal serum biomarker. Serum bilirubin modulation in normal conditions
A number of congenital diseases causing bilirubin abnormalities together with a vast body of experimental studies have helped understanding the molecular pathways that concur to bilirubin biogenesis, its transport in blood and elimination in the bile.
Nevertheless, there are aspects of the biochemistry and pharmacology of bilirubin that are still emerging or are yet to be discovered. The aim of this Research Topic is to serve the need of deepening our understanding of the fundamental aspects of bilirubin biochemistry and pharmacology.
In fact, the test of serum bilirubin is included in the set of serum biochemical parameters that are routinely assessed in clinical and veterinary medicine. It is important to better understand the biological mechanisms that determine the endpoint values and be prepared to introduce innovations in the way serum bilirubin is measured.
Furthermore, modest changes in serum bilirubin, such as those observed in subjects bearing Gilbert’s syndrome or under certain life-style conditions, deserve being followed at the clinical level and understood in detail, because they could turn to be predictive of personal disease risk.
The molecular mechanisms by which bilirubin modulates cell equilibria are highlighted in a contiguous Research Topic titled The role of bile pigments in health and disease: effects on cell signaling, cytotoxicity and cytoprotection, edited by J. Kapitulnik and M. D. Maines (DOI: 10.3389/978-2-88919-044-7).
This Research Topic complements with the Research Topic on bile pigments. It will have a core section on BILIRUBIN BIOCHEMISTRY, with four cornerstones:
• Synthesis
• Membrane Transport
• Blood Transport
• Metabolism and Excretion by the Liver
- welcomed contributions include, but are not limited to-
• Properties of the bilirubin-flavonoid transporter bilitranslocase (TC2.A.65.1.1)
• Tools to measure bilirubin. Chemical analysis of bilirubin in water environment
• Bilirubin as a normal serum biomarker. Serum bilirubin modulation in normal conditions
Keywords: Bilirubin, biogenesis, hepatic metabolism, transport, analytical chemistry
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
