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The posssible role of enantiodiscrimination in bilirubin toxicity
Author(s) -
Bernardini Carlotta,
D'Arrigo Paola,
Elemento Gioia,
Mancini Giovanna,
Servi Stefano,
Sorrenti Alessandro
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
chirality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.43
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1520-636X
pISSN - 0899-0042
DOI - 10.1002/chir.20610
Subject(s) - chemistry , bilirubin , chirality (physics) , enantiomer , circular dichroism , toxicity , membrane , stereochemistry , biophysics , biochemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , chiral symmetry breaking , physics , quantum mechanics , gastroenterology , nambu–jona lasinio model , biology , quark
The possibility that enantiodiscrimination of bilirubin might be involved in neuronal membrane destabilization, and therefore in bilirubin toxicity, was investigated, by circular dichroism, on model membranes composed of phospholipids. The equilibrium between bilirubin enantiomers is displaced at some extent by the interaction with certain phospholipids. The extent of equilibrium displacement depends on the molecular structure of phospholipids and on the state of charge of bilirubin. The results obtained validate the hypothesis of a possible involvement of chirality in bilirubin toxicity and support a previously suggested model for the molecular mechanism of the interaction of bilirubin with the synaptic membrane. Chirality, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.