title: Bilirubin, copper-porphyrins, and the bronze-baby syndrome.
abstract: Controlled in vitro spectroscopic measurements reveal that bilirubin does not photosensitize the degradation of copper-porphyrins, as has been proposed for the mechanism of the bronze-baby syndrome, an uncommon side-effect of phototherapy. Calculations also show that copper-porphyrins are unlikely to cause the "bronzing." In conclusion, the copper-porphyrin hypothesis is photochemically implausible.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and the Liver Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. tony.mcdonagh@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Antony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: McDonagh
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000737:chemistry*; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D017495:Hyperpigmentation / Q000139:chemically induced; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D011166:Porphyrins; D003300:Copper; D001663:Bilirubin