Analyses of azopigments obtained from the delta fraction of bilirubin from mammalian plasma (mammalian biliprotein).

Azopigments were obtained from the delta fraction of bilirubin (mammalian biliprotein) in cholestatic sera of men, rats and guinea pigs by diazo reaction with diazotized p-iodoaniline and analysed by t.l.c. Delta bilirubin of men and rats generated both unconjugated and glucuronide-conjugated azodipyrroles, whereas that of guinea pigs, in which the predominant form of conjugated bilirubin in serum was bilirubin monoglucuronide, generated only unconjugated azodipyrrole. We further analysed the azopigments by reversed-phase h.p.l.c. to distinguish their endovinyl and exovinyl isomers. The results indicated (a) that covalent binding of bilirubin to protein occurs exclusively on the conjugated dipyrrolic (either endovinyl or exovinyl) half of the parent conjugated bilirubin, (b) that both bilirubin monoglucuronide and bilirubin diglucuronide generate delta bilirubin, the latter yielding a 'conjugated' form of delta bilirubin that preserves the glucuronic acid moiety on the dipyrrolic half not bound covalently to protein, and (c) that therefore at least four forms of delta bilirubin exist in jaundiced sera of men and rats.     

Separation by thin-layer chromatography and structure elucidation of bilirubin conjugates isolated from dog bile.

1. A system for separation of bile pigments by t.l.c. and for their structure elucidation is presented. Separated bile pigments are characterized by t.l.c. of derived dipyrrolic azopigments. 2. At the tetrapyrrolic stage hydrolysis in strongly alkaline medium followed by t.l.c. demonstrates the presence of bilirubin-IIIalpha, -IXalpha and -XIIIalpha and allows assessment of their relative amounts. 3. Most structural information is derived from analysis of dipyrrolic azopigments. Such derivatives, obtained by treatment of separated bile pigments with diazotized ethyl anthranilate, were separated and purified by t.l.c. Micro methods showed (a) the nature of the dipyrrolic aglycone, (b) the nature of the bonds connecting aglycone to a conjugating group, (c) the ratio of vinyl/isovinyl isomers present in the aglycone and, (d) the nature of the conjugating groups (by suitable derivative formation and t.l.c. with reference to known compounds). 4. In bile of normal dogs at least 20 tetrapyrrolic, diazo-positive bile pigments could be recognized. Except for two pigments the tetrapyrrolic nucleus corresponded predominantly to bilirubin-IXalpha. All conjugated pigments had their conjugating groups connected in ester linkage to the tetrapyrrolic aglycone, Apart from bilirubin-IXalpha, monoconjugates and homogeneous and mixed diconjugates of bilirubin were demonstrated; conjugating groups of major importance were xylose, glucose and glucuronic acid. 5. Bilirubin isomer determination on native bile and isolated bile pigments, and dipyrrole-exchange assays with [14C8]bilirubin indicated (a) that the conjugates pre-exist in bile, and (b) that no significant dipyrrole exchange occurs during isolation of the pigments.     

The isolation of an azobilirubin β-d-monoglucoside from dog gall-bladder bile

An ethyl anthranilate azopigment of bilirubin conjugated to beta-d-monoglucoside was isolated from dog gall-bladder bile. Glucose was cleaved from the azopigment by treatment with beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase. Mild alkaline hydrolysis of the compound by sodium methoxide yielded two kinds of compounds, water-soluble and organic-soluble. The former were shown, by enzymic analysis, t.l.c., nuclear magnetic resonance, and combined g.l.c. and mass spectrometry, to contain glucose. No evidence was obtained from these data that a disaccharide was present in this fraction. The organic-soluble compounds formed during this methanolysis were shown, by t.l.c. and mass spectrometry, to be the isomeric dipyrrole azopigments of bilirubin. These findings contribute further evidence to the controversy surrounding the nature of conjugated bilirubin.     

Glucuronic acid conjugates of bilirubin-IXα in normal bile compared with post-obstructive bile. Transformation of the 1-O-acylglucuronide into 2-, 3-, and 4-O-acylglucuronides

Structures have been determined for bilirubin-IXalpha conjugates in freshly collected bile of normal rats, dogs and man and in post-obstructive bile of man and rats. The originally secreted conjugate has been characterized as azopigment (I), i.e. a 1-O-acyl-beta-d-glucopyranuronic acid glycoside. Conversion of the acetylated methyl ester of azopigment (I) into methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-1-bromo-1-deoxy-beta-d-glucopyranuronate (V) indicates the pyranose ring structure for the carbohydrate and a C-1 attachment for the bilirubin-IXalpha acyl group. Alternative procedures for deconjugation of azopigment (I) and its derivatives are also described. In post-obstructive bile, the 1-O-acylglucuronide is converted into 2-, 3- and 4-O-acylglucuronides via sequential intramolecular migrations of the bilirubin acyl group. The following approach was utilized. (1) The tetrapyrrole conjugates were cleaved to dipyrrolic aniline and ethyl anthranilate azopigments, and the azopigments were separated as the acids or methyl esters. (2) The isomeric methyl esters were characterized by mass spectral analysis of the acetates and silyl ethers. (3) The free glycosidic function was demonstrated by 1-oxime and 1-methoxime derivative formation. (4) The position of the dipyrrolic O-acyl group was determined for the methyl esters by protecting the free hydroxyl groups of the glucuronic acid moieties as the acetals formed with ethyl vinyl ether and by further conversion of the carbohydrates into partially methylated alditol acetates. These were analysed by using g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. The relevance of the present results with regard to previous reports on disaccharidic conjugates is discussed. Details of procedures for the formation of chemical derivatives for g.l.c. and mass spectrometry have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50081 (15 pages) at the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1978), 169, 5.     

Reverse-phase h.p.l.c. separation, quantification and preparation of bilirubin and its conjugates from native bile. Quantitative analysis of the intact tetrapyrroles based on h.p.l.c. of their ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives.

We describe a facile and sensitive reverse-phase h.p.l.c. method for analytical separation of biliary bile pigments and direct quantification of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) and its monoglucuronide (BMG) and diglucuronide (BDG) conjugates in bile. The method can be 'scaled up' for preparative isolation of pure BDG and BMG from pigment-enriched biles. We employed an Altex ultrasphere ODS column in the preparative steps and a Waters mu-Bondapak C18 column in the separatory and analytical procedures. Bile pigments were eluted with ammonium acetate buffer, pH 4.5, and a 20 min linear gradient of 60-100% (v/v) methanol at a flow rate of 2.0 ml/min for the preparative separations and 1.0 ml/min for the analytical separations. Bile pigments were eluted in order of decreasing polarity (glucuronide greater than glucose greater than xylose conjugates greater than UCB) and were chemically identified by t.l.c. of their respective ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives. Quantification of UCB was carried out by using a standard curve relating a range of h.p.l.c. integrated peak areas to concentrations of pure crystalline UCB. A pure crystalline ethyl anthranilate azo derivative of UCB (AZO . UCB) was employed as a single h.p.l.c. reference standard for quantification of BMG and BDG. We demonstrate that: separation and quantification of biliary bile pigments are rapid (approximately 25 min); bile pigment concentrations ranging from 1-500 microM can be determined 'on line' by using 5 microliters of bile without sample pretreatment; bilirubin conjugates can be obtained preparatively in milligram quantities without degradation or contamination by other components of bile. H.p.l.c. analyses of a series of mammalian biles show that biliary UCB concentrations generally range from 1 to 17 microM. These values are considerably lower than those estimated previously by t.l.c. BMG is the predominant, if not exclusive, bilirubin conjugate in the biles of a number of rodents (guinea pig, hamster, mouse, prairie dog) that are experimental models of both pigment and cholesterol gallstone formation. Conjugated bilirubins in the biles of other animals (human, monkey, pony, cat, rat and dog) are chemically more diverse and include mono-, di- and mixed disconjugates of glucuronic acid, xylose and glucose in proportions that give distinct patterns for each species.     

Enzymatic conversion of bilirubin monoglucuronide to diglucuronide by rat liver plasma membranes.

Formation of bilirubin monoglucuronide from unconjugated bilirubin requires a microsomal enzyme, UDP-glucuronate glucuronyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17). Conversion of bilirubin monoglucuronide to bilirubin diglucuronide, the major bilirubin conjugate in bile, was studied in subcellular fractions of rat liver. The highest specific activity for bilirubin diglucuronide formation occurred in a fraction highly enriched in plasma membranes. Studies of reaction stoichiometry and utilization of UDP-D-[14C]glucuronic acid revealed that conversion of bilirubin monoglucuronide to bilirubin diglucuronide is not catalyzed by UDP-glucuronyltransferase, and results from transglucuronidation of bilirubin monoglucuronide, with formation of bilirubin diglucuronide and unconjugated bilirubin. When unconjugated bilirubin was infused intravenously into rats at rates exceeding the maximal hepatic excretory capacity, bilirubin monoglucuronide accumulated in serum and bilirubin diglucuronide was found exclusively in bile as the predominant bilirubin metabolite. These results suggest that formation of bilirubin diglucuronide occurs at the surface membrane of the liver cell. Conversion of bilirubin monoglucuronide to bilirubin diglucuronide may play a role in the transport of bilirubin glucuronides from liver to bile.     

Rapid transesterification of bilirubin glucuronides in methanol

The current studies present evidence that bilirubin conjugates derived from rat bile undergo rapid transesterification, $\text{in}$$\text{vitro}$, in solutions containing methanol. The conjugates of bilirubin and the methyl esters formed from them by exposure to methanol were isolated by thin layer chromatography. The isolates were chemically quantitated for their bilirubin and glucuronic acid composition. Characterization of the bilirubin methyl esters was performed by mass spectrometric analysis of the trimethylsilyl and phenylazo derivatives.     

Human hepatic beta-glucuronidase: an enzyme kinetic study

beta-Glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31) was purified from human liver and its activity was determined by enzyme kinetic method employing phenolphthalein glucuronic acid (PGA) and conjugated bilirubin, primarily bilirubin diglucuronide purified from human bile, as substrates in the absence or presence of D-glucaro-1,4-lactone. The enzyme was capable of acting on both PGA and conjugated bilirubin with Michaelis constants of 0.435 mmol/l at 56 degrees C and 1.02 mmol/l at 37 degrees C, respectively. Both reactions were beta-glucuronidase-specific because both were inhibited by D-glucaro-1,4-lactone in a competitive fashion. Conjugated bilirubin acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme for PGA in a two-substrate system. The study indicates that these two substrates bind at different catalytic sites of the enzyme and, on molar base, conjugated bilirubin had higher affinity for the enzyme and less degree of inhibition by D-glucaro-1,4-lactone than PGA. Whether such catalytic sites are also common for other beta-D-glucuronid ethers and esters remains to be proven.     

Analysis of bilirubin and bilirubin mono- and di-conjugates. Determination of their relative amounts in biological samples.

1. A novel method for determination of the relative amounts of unconjugated bilirubin and sugar mono- and di-conjugates of bilirubin in biological samples, including serum, is described and illustrated by its application to the analysis of bilinoids in rat bile. 2. The method is based on specific conversion of the carbohydrate conjugates of bilirubin into the corresponding mono- or di-methyl esters by base-catalysed transesterification in methanol. Under the selected reaction conditions, unconjugated biliru-in remains intact and no dipyrrole exchange in the bilinoids is detectable; transesterification of bilirubin mono- or di-glucuronide is virtually complete (approx. 99%), and sponification is negligible (less than 1%); recovery of the pigments is approx. 95%. 3. The reaction products bilirubin and its methyl esters are separated by t.l.c. and determined spectrophotometrically; the two isomeric bilirubin-IX alpha monomethyl esters are separated and therefore can be determined individually. 4. Reference bilirubin mono- and di-methyl esters have been synthesized and characterized, and the two isomers of bilirubin-IX alpha monomethyl ester and bilirubin dimethyl ester were obtained individually, in crystalline form. 5. With this new method, virtually all bilinoids (over 99%) in normal rat bile have been found to be conjugated, with diconjugates (71%) predominating. A significantly increased proportion of monoconjugates is present in bile collected from heterozygous Gunn rats or from normal rats that were refused with large amounts of bilirubin.     

Mass-spectrometric study of the azopigments obtained from bile pigments with diazotized ethyl anthranilate

The structures of some azopigments obtained by diazotization of conjugated and unconjugated bile pigments with diazotized ethyl anthranilate were studied by mass spectrometry. The alpha(0)-azopigments derived from rat bile and human bile were shown to be identical (t.l.c. and mass spectra) with azobilirubin derived from unconjugated bilirubin. The presence of two methyl vinyl isomers (Ia) and (Ib) in equal amounts was shown by t.l.c. and mass spectrometry. The structure of the delta-azopigment derived from rat bile was studied by two methods: (a) ammonolysis gave rise to an amide having a CH(2).CH(2).CO.NH(2) side chain as shown by its mass spectrum; (b) the mass spectrum of a trimethylsilyl derivative of the delta-azopigment methyl ester confirmed the ester to be a beta-d-monoglucuronide ester of azobilirubin I.     

Isolation and properties of conjugated bilirubin from bile

1. A simple, rapid solvent partition method is described for isolation of conjugated bilirubin, free of unconjugated bilirubin, bile salts, phospholipids and cholesterol, from rat bile. Yields are 40-58%. The product is a phosphate-buffered solution containing approx. 0.4mg of bilirubin/ml, principally as mono- and di-glucuronide conjugates. The method may be modified for isolation of conjugates from human bile with 15-22% yield, and for preparation of unconjugated bilirubin from rat or human bile with yields of 55-62%. 2. The conjugated pigment has red-brown fluorescence and an absorption maximum at 450nm with in(mM) 59.8cm(-1). Diazotization by the Malloy-Evelyn method gives a direct Van den Bergh reaction (in water) 12% greater than the total reaction (in methanol), with in(total) 28.4x10(3)lmol(-1)cm(-1) at 550nm. After desalting by elution from Sephadex LH-20 in 50% (v/v) ethanol, the product gave water-soluble mustard-yellow crystalline needles. Such desalted conjugates were precipitated by Pb(2+) but not by Ba(2+), Ca(2+) or Zn(2+). 3. At pH7.0 and 37 degrees C the conjugated bilirubin was oxidized at a rate of 1%/h without hydrolysis, whereas 84% was hydrolysed by beta-glucuronidase or aqueous alkali. 4. Mono- and di-glucuronides were separated by elution from Sephadex LH-20 in 95% (v/v) ethanol or by extraction with chloroform at pH3.2-3.4. The monoconjugated bilirubin did not become labelled during incubation with unconjugated [(14)C]bilirubin, and chromatographed as a single spot without dissociating into unconjugated bilirubin and diglucuronide as would be expected of a complex. 5. After intravenous injection of mono- or di-conjugated [(14)C]bilirubin into normal or Gunn rats, 79-91% was excreted in bile and 2-7% in urine over 2h. In these experiments injected diglucuronide was not hydrolysed whereas 30-41% of injected monoglucuronide was converted into diglucuronide by the normal but not by the Gunn rats. The evidence favours the existence of a true bilirubin mono-glucuronide that is not a complex.     

Synthesis of biliverdin and bilirubin 1-O-acyl-beta-D-glucopyranuronic acids.

Biliverdin and bilirubin mono- and di-beta-glucuronides were prepared by nucleophilic substitution of the 1-O-mesyl derivative of alpha-ethoxyethyl-protected glucuronic acid (compound II) with the tetrabutylammonium salts of biliverdin and bilirubin. Removal of the acetal-protecting groups by mild acid treatment yielded biliverdin glucuronides, which were reduced to bilirubin glucuronides. Depending on reaction conditions the pure beta-anomers or mixtures highly enriched in the beta-anomers were obtained. The biliverdin and bilirubin glucuronides were identical with pigments derived from bile. They were characterized as the IX alpha isomers and the beta-anomers by alkaline hydrolysis, n.m.r. spectroscopy, hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase and conversion into dipyrrolic azopigments. Model reactions of the 1-O-mesylate (II) with other nucleophiles also were performed, i.e. the acetate anion and various alcohols.     

Purification and partial characterization of rat liver bilirubin glucuronoside glucuronosyltransferase.

Bilirubin glucuronoside glucuronosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.95) converts bilirubin monoglucuronide to bilirubin diglucuronide and is concentrated in plasma membrane-enriched fractions of rat liver homogenates. The enzyme was purified 2,000-fold to homogeneity from rat liver. The pI of the enzyme is 7.9 +/- 0.2. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 160,000 and is an oligomer of 28,000 dalton subunits. Km for purified enzyme was 35 microM and Vmax was 2.2 mumol of bilirubin diglucuronide formed/min/mg of protein. Freshly biosynthesized bilirubin monoglucuronide was injected intravenously into homozygous Gunn rats which had bile duct cannulation. Gunn rats lack UDP-glucuronate glucuronyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.1.17), have normal bilirubin glucuronoside glucuronosyltransferase activity, cannot form bilirubin monoglucuronide in vitro or in vivo, and do not excrete bilirubin glucuronides after intravenous injection of unconjugated bilirubin. Within 1 h, approximately 75% of the injected conjugated bilirubin was recovered in bile, of which 20% consisted of bilirubin diglucuronide. These results indicate that bilirubin glucuronide glucuronosyltransferase catalyzes conversion of bilirubin monoglucuronide to diglucuronide in vivo.     

Bilirubin conjugates in bile of man, rat and dog. Semi-quantitative analysis of bile composition by thin-layer chromatography.

1. Conjugated bile pigments, separated in two fractions by semi-quantitative t.l.c. performed on silicic acid with phenol/water as the developing solvent, were treated with diazotized ethyl anthranilate. Resulting dipyrrylazo derivatives were analysed by quantitative t.l.c. 2. The tentative structure elucidation of tetrapyrrolic bilirubin conjugates and semi-quantitative evaluation of rat bile, post-obstructive human bile and dog bile composition is presented. 3. Homogeneous and mixed hexuronic acid diesters of bilirubin containing glucuronic acid constitute 51% of the total conjugates in normal rat bile, 45% of those in human post-obstructive bile and 38% of those in obstructed rat biles. 4. Monoconjugated bilirubin amounts to 33% of total conjugated bile pigments in normal rat bile, and 17 and 14% in post-obstructive hepatic human bile and gall-bladder bile of dog respectively. After loading with unconjugated bilirubin a greater amount of monoconjugates (56%) occur in the rat bile, whereas bilirubin diglucuronide excretion is decreased (34%). 5. In gall-bladder bile of normal dog, 40% of glucose-containing diconjugates, 32% of homogeneous and/or mixed hexuronic acid (mainly glucuronic acid) diesters of bilirubin and 14% of xylose-containing diconjugates are estimated. 6. Increased amounts of bilirubin conjugates, including some with unidentified uronic acid groups, were observed in cholestatic rat biles and quantities of conjugates with glucuronic acid were decreased.     

Identification of bilirubin reduction products formed by Clostridium perfringens isolated from human neonatal fecal flora

Urobilinoids belong to the heterogenous group of degradation products of bilirubin formed in the gastrointestinal tract by intestinal microflora. Among them urobilinogen and stercobilinogen with their respective oxidation products, urobilin and stercobilin, are the most important compounds. The aim of present study was to analyze the products of bacterial reduction of bilirubin in more detail. The strain of Clostridium perfringens isolated from neonatal stools, capable of reducing bilirubin, was used in the study. Bacteria were incubated under anaerobic conditions with various native as well as synthetic bile pigments, including radiolabeled unconjugated bilirubin (UCB). Their reduction products were extracted from media and separated following thin layer chromatography. Pigments isolated were analyzed by spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry and mass spectrometry. In a special set of experiments, bilirubin diglucuronide was incubated with either bacterial lysate or partially purified bilirubin reductase and beta-glucuronidase to reveal whether bilirubin glucuronides may be directly reduced onto conjugated urobilinoids. A broad substrate activity was detected in the investigated strain of C. perfringens and a series of bilirubin reduction products was identified. These products were separated in the form of their respective chromogens and further oxidized. Based on their physical-chemical properties, as well as mass spectra, end-catabolic bilirubin products were identified to belong to urobilinogen species. The reduction process, catalyzed enzymatically by the studied bacterial strain, does not proceed to stercobilinogen. Bilirubin diglucuronide is not reduced onto urobilinoid conjugates, glucuronide hydrolysis must precede double bond reduction and thus UCB is reduced much faster.     

Bilirubin diglucuronide formation by rat liver microsomes: demonstration by affinity and thin layer chromatography of bile pigment tetrapyrroles

The conjugates formed in vitro by bilirubin UDP-glucuronyl transferase were studied by examining reaction products as intact tetrapyrroles, rather than as dipyrrolic azoderivatives. Bile pigments were extracted from conventional microsomal enzyme reaction mixtures by affinity chromatography over albumin-agarose, eluted with 50% ethanol, and separated by a silica gel thin layer chromatographic system. In the presence of UDPGA, native and activated microsomal preparations all formed both bilirubin mono- and diglucuronides from unconjugated bilirubin, and bilirubin diglucuronide from bilirubin monoglucuronide. No significant non-enzymatic conversion of mono- to diglucuronide occurred without UDPGA, or in the presence of denatured enzyme. Hence, bilirubin diglucuronide is a major product of bilirubin-UDP-glucuronyl transferase.     

Characterization of the major diazo-positive pigments in bile of homozygous Gunn rats

Bilinoid pigments in bile of homozygous Gunn rats (jj) were analysed either after formation of dipyrrolic ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives or as the unmodified parent tetrapyrroles. 1. T.l.c. of the azo derivatives revealed seven major unconjugated components which were structurally characterized by chemical tests, spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry. In addition, two minor components were identified as azodipyrrole (A+B)-glucoside and azodipyrrole (A+B)-β-d-glucuronide. 2. Extraction and t.l.c. of the tetrapyrrolic pigments showed 13 major yellow diazo-positive bands. Four of them, accounting for 59% of total diazo-positive material, were identified as unconjugated bilirubin-IXα, -IXβ, -IXγ and -IXδ. A fifth band (16%) was characterized as a mixture of two isomeric monohydroxyl derivatives and another band (8%) as a dihydroxyl derivative of bilirubin-IXα. 3. Although unconjugated bilirubin-IXα constitutes one-third of total diazo-positive material in bile of our strain of Gunn rats, the daily amount excreted represented only about 3–4% of daily bilirubin production. 4. Phototherapy caused a 2.2-fold increase in the biliary output of diazo-positive bilinoids, but did not affect markedly their composition. However, an additional diazo-negative pigment, accounting for one-third of total yellow colour, was observed but was not identified. Mass-spectral data on two dipyrrolic azopigments have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50076 (3 pages) with the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, W. Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies may be obtained on the terms given in Biochem. J. (1977) 161, 1.     

Synthesis and separation by thin-layer chromatography of bilirubin-IX isomers. Their identification as tetrapyrroles and dipyrrolic ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives.

Procedures for the synthesis, separation and determination of structure of the bilirubin-IX isomers are described. 1. The four biliverdin-IX isomers were prepared by oxidative cleavage of haemin and were separated as their dimethyl esters. The individual esters were reduced with NaBH4, and the bilirubin esters obtained were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis yielding the corresponding bilirubin-IX isomers. 2. The bilirubin-IX isomers were structurally characterized (a) at the tetrapyrrolic stage by mass spectrometry of their trimethylsilyl derivatives and (b) by formation and structural analysis of their dipyrrolic ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives. 3. The absorption spectrum of bilirubin-IX alpha differed strikingly from the spectra of the other isomers. The presence of a pronounced shoulder around 453 nm in the spectrum of bilirubin-IXbeta allows easy differentiation from bilirubin-IXdelta. Methylation of the carboxyl groups largely eliminates the spectral differences between the IXalpha- and non-alpha isomers. 4. The bilirubin-IX isomers are conveniently separated by t.l.c. Detection and unequivocal identification is possible on a micro-scale by (a) t.l.c. with respect to reference compounds and (b) subsequent formation and t.l.c. of the more stable ethyl anthranilate azopigments. 5. Pronounced differences in polarity, i.e. solvent distribution, between the bilirubin-IX isomers indicate that a re-evaluation of conclusions reached previously with regard to the presence in, or absence from, biological fluids of some isomers and their relative amounts is needed.     

Synergistic interaction between vitamin E and the bile pigments bilirubin and biliverdin

The oxidation of soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes initiated with a lipid-soluble azo compound within the liposomal membranes has been studied in the absence and presence of membrane-bound vitamin E and water-soluble bile pigments. In the absence of vitamin E, lipid peroxidation proceeded linearly and without delay. Low micromolar amounts of bilirubin ditaurine (BR-DT, a model compound of conjugated bilirubin) or biliverdin (BV) inhibited the oxidation of PC significantly and in a concentration-dependent way. In contrast, neither taurine, ascorbic acid nor reduced glutathione inhibited significantly under these conditions. Both bile pigments were consumed during their protective action. Vitamin E incorporated into the liposomal membranes suppressed the oxidation initially almost completely, thereby producing an induction period. In the combined presence of vitamin E and either of the two bile pigments at 10 microM each, this induction period was increased by at least 200%. In contrast, when 10 microM vitamin E was combined with an equimolar concentration of reduced glutathione, the induction period increased by only about 30%. BR-DT and BV both spared the consumption of vitamin E during the oxidation of PC liposomes. These results demonstrate that conjugated bilirubin and BV located in the aqueous phase can directly scavenge lipid radicals to some extent. Furthermore, both bile pigments can act synergistically with membrane-bound vitamin E to prevent lipid peroxidation initiated in the lipid phase, most likely through regeneration of the vitamin from its chromanoxyl radical.     

Synthesis, chromatographic purification, and analysis of isomers of biliverdin IX and bilirubin IX.

Neutral solvent systems were developed to isolate the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta isomers of biliverdin IX dimethyl ester by TLC. The individual free acids of biliverdin IX were obtained by saponification of the corresponding dimethyl esters. The bilirubin IX isomers were prepared by reducing the corresponding biliverdin IX isomers with NaBH3CN. Starting from a pure biliverdin IX dimethyl ester, the corresponding free acid of biliverdin IX or bilirubin IX was available within 3-4 h. Preparation of spectrally pure bile pigment required final TLC on acid-cleaned neutral TLC plates. The absorption spectra of the free acids and dimethyl esters of biliverdin IX in methanol showed a broad band at about 650 nm and a sharp band at about 375 nm. The long-wave-length band was extremely sensitive to the presence of strong acid. A 10-fold molar excess of HCl caused a 35- to 50-nm shift of the absorption maximum to longer wavelengths and near doubling of the maximum absorption. The molar absorption coefficients of biliverdins were identical for each free acid and dimethyl ester pair. In each case, Beer's law was followed in both methanol and acidified methanol. Methanol also proved to be a suitable solvent for spectroscopic determination of the non-alpha isomers of bilirubin IX. The wavelength of maximum absorption and molar absorption coefficient of each dipyrrolic ethyl anthranilate azo pigment derived from the various bilirubin IX isomers are also reported.