Can serum bilirubin be an index of in vivo oxidative stress?

Bilirubin has been suggested as a physiological antioxidant, and recent studies suggest that its synthesis is induced in response to oxidative stress. Numerous reports in the literature show increases in serum bilirubin when using halogenated hydrocarbons as oxidative stress inducers. Analogously, these increases should also be expected for other inducers. On the other hand, bilirubin is destroyed by the same molecules that induce its production. The measurement of bilirubin may be a useful index of in vivo oxidative stress, although no big differences in bilirubin levels should be expected.