Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Imaging Approaches to Assessments of Toxicological Oxidative Stress Using Genetically-encoded Fluorogenic Sensors
09:33

Imaging Approaches to Assessments of Toxicological Oxidative Stress Using Genetically-encoded Fluorogenic Sensors

Published on: February 7, 2018

7.7K

Bilirubin: The toxic mechanisms of an antioxidant molecule

Constanza P Soto Conti1

  • 1Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón Sardá. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. cleosc@yahoo.com.

Archivos Argentinos De Pediatria
|January 18, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia requires prompt treatment due to infant vulnerability. This review explores how bilirubin causes harm and its beneficial antioxidant effects to guide phototherapy decisions.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal medicine
  • Biochemistry
  • Pediatric neurology

Background:

  • Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a frequent cause of hospitalization.
  • Newborns are susceptible to bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.
  • Bilirubin paradoxically possesses potent antioxidant properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review bilirubin's mechanisms of cellular damage.
  • To determine bilirubin's beneficial antioxidant effects.
  • To inform precise phototherapy indications.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review
  • Molecular biology studies analysis
  • Expert consensus review

Main Results:

  • Bilirubin can induce neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.
  • Bilirubin exhibits significant antioxidant capabilities.
  • Understanding these dual roles is crucial for treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate phototherapy indication requires knowledge of bilirubin's dual effects.
  • Phototherapy decisions should be guided by expert consensus pending further advances.
  • Personalized and timely phototherapy is essential for neonatal care.

Keywords:
antioxidantsbilirubinneurotoxicity syndromesnewbornoxidative stress

More Related Videos

Partial Lobular Hepatectomy: A Surgical Model for Morphologic Liver Regeneration05:37

Partial Lobular Hepatectomy: A Surgical Model for Morphologic Liver Regeneration

Published on: May 31, 2018

12.5K
Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Biological Samples Using the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances Assay06:19

Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Biological Samples Using the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances Assay

Published on: May 12, 2020

30.6K

Related Concept Videos

The Electron Transport Chain01:30

The Electron Transport Chain

The electron transport chain or oxidative phosphorylation is an exothermic process in which free energy released during electron transfer reactions is coupled to ATP synthesis. This process is a significant source of energy in aerobic cells, and therefore inhibitors of the electron transport chain can be detrimental to the cell's metabolic processes.
Inhibitors of the electron transport chain
Rotenone, a widely used pesticide, prevents electron transfer from Fe-S cluster to ubiquinone or Q...
18.8K
Radical Autoxidation01:20

Radical Autoxidation

The oxidation of an organic compound in the presence of air or oxygen is called autoxidation. For example, cumene reacts with oxygen to form hydroperoxide. Autoxidation involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. Many organic compounds are susceptible to autoxidation—especially ethers in the presence of oxygen, which form hydroperoxides. Even though this reaction is slow, old ether bottles contain small amounts of peroxide, which leads to laboratory explosions during ether...
2.7K
Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV01:43

Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV

During the electron transport chain, electrons from NADH and FADH2 are first transferred to complexes I and II, respectively. These two complexes then transfer the electrons to ubiquinol, which carries them further to complex III. Complex III passes the electrons across the intermembrane space to Cyt c, which carries them further to complex IV. Complex IV donates electrons to oxygen and reduces it to water. As electrons pass through complexes I, III, and IV, the energy released aids the pumping...
8.6K
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones01:17

Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones

In the presence of oxidizing agents, phenols are oxidized to quinones. Quinones can be easily reduced back to phenols using mild reducing agents. The electron-donating hydroxyl group enhances the reactivity of the aromatic ring, enabling oxidation of the ring even in the absence of an α hydrogen.
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...
4.0K
Phase I Reactions: Oxidation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Carbon-Containing Systems01:19

Phase I Reactions: Oxidation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Carbon-Containing Systems

Phase I biotransformation reactions are integral to drug metabolism, predominantly involving oxidative, reductive, and hydrolytic transformations. Chief among these are oxidative reactions, which enhance the hydrophilicity of xenobiotics and introduce polar functional groups to facilitate their elimination from the body.
Oxidation reactions are fundamental in aromatic carbon-containing systems. An example is the hydroxylation of phenobarbital, a process that transforms it into...
502
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II01:46

Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II

The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
17.1K