title: Bilirubin: an autofluorescence bile biomarker for liver functionality monitoring.
abstract: Excitation at 366-465 nm of bilirubin in aqueous solution with solubilizing agents results in emission spectra composed by two main bands. The variation of their relative contributions as shown by changes in the spectral shape are consistent with the bilirubin bichromophore nature. This latter accounts for an exciton-coupling phenomenon, intramolecular interchromophore energy transfer efficiency being affected by microenvironment. Excitation at 366 nm, despite the poor absorption of bilirubin, gives rise to appreciable emission signals from both pure compounds and bile - collected from functionally altered rat livers - favouring the spectral shape response to environment and molecular conformation changes. As compared to the merely bile flow estimation, real-time detection of fluorescence, revealing composition variations, improves near-UV optical-biopsy diagnostic potential in hepatology.
authors.affiliation: Histochemistry and Cytometry Unit, IGM-CNR, Biology and Biotechnology Department, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, Palazzo Botta 2, 27100, Italy. croce@igm.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Croce
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrigno
authors.forename: Giada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santin
authors.forename: Mariapia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vairetti
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bottiroli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001663:Bilirubin
keywords: heme-metabolism; liver surgery and transplantation; optical biopsy; spectrofluorometry