title: Reduction of bilirubin ditaurate by the intestinal bacterium Clostridium perfringens.
abstract: Bilirubin is degraded in the human gut by microflora into urobilinoids. In our study we investigated whether the bilirubin-reducing strain of Clostridium perfringens can reduce bilirubin ditaurate (BDT), a bile pigment of some lower vertebrates, without hydrolysis of the taurine moiety. C. perfringes was incubated under anaerobic conditions with BDT; reduction products were quantified by spectrophotometry and separated by TLC. Based on Rf values of BDT reduction products and synthetic urobilinogen ditaurate, three novel taurine-conjugated urobilinoids were identified. It is likely that bilirubin-reducing enzyme(s) serve for the effective disposal of electrons produced by fermentolytic processes in these anaerobic bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koníčková
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jirásková
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zelenka
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lešetický
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Štícha
authors.forename: Libor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vítek
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D014558:Urobilinogen
chemical_list: D014558:Urobilinogen; D013654:Taurine; C054146:bilirubin ditaurine; D001663:Bilirubin