Abstract
Experiments with Gunn rats have given evidence that phototherapy brings about an increased biliary excretion of bilirubin in the unconjugated form. The concentration of total and unconjugated bilirubin was measured in duodenal bile in 15 newborn infants with hyperbilirubinemia. 10 infants received phototherapy for 24 hours between two bile samples, while 5 infants had no treatment and served as controls. Phototherapy significantly altered the biliary bilirubin excretion pattern, more bilirubin being excreted as unconjugated bilirubin.
In order to test the hypothesis, that the observed change in the conjugation of bilirubin could be caused by an activation of liver- or duodenal beta-glucuronidase by phototherapy, the activity of this enzyme was measured in duodenal bile in 10 newborn infants, of which 5 were treated with phototherapy and 5 had no treatment. No significant alteration in the activity of beta-glucuronidase was observed during phototherapy. The change in the biliary bilirubin excretion pattern may be explained as secondary to a metabolic effect of the photooxidation products or to the formation of bilirubin adducts
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Lund, H., Jacobsen, J., Petersen, I. et al. The biliary bilirubin excretion pattern and beta-glucuronidase activity in duodenal bile of newborn infants with hyperbilirubinemia treated with phototherapy.. Pediatr Res 8, 912 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197411000-00084
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197411000-00084