The possible role of enantiodiscrimination in bilirubin toxicity.
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.
Bernardini
Carlotta
C
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.
D'Arrigo
Paola
P
Elemento
Gioia
G
Mancini
Giovanna
G
Servi
Stefano
S
Sorrenti
Alessandro
A
D000818:Animals; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D002417:Cattle; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000737:chemistry; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000737:chemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D008081:Liposomes; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D014867:Water; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D001663:Bilirubin