Biomaterial Database

Metalloporphyrins in the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. 2010

David K Stevenson, and Ronald J Wong

Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. dstevenson@stanford.edu

Neonatal jaundice in the first week of life is a common problem in newborns. It is due to an imbalance of bilirubin production and its elimination, which can lead to significantly elevated levels of circulating bilirubin or hyperbilirubinemia. Use of phototherapy and/or exchange transfusion are the current modes for treating neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and preventing any neurologic damage. These strategies, however, only remove bilirubin that has already been formed. Preventing the production of excess bilirubin may be a more logical approach. Synthetic heme analogs, metalloporphyrins, are competitive inhibitors of heme oxygenase, the rate-limiting enzyme in bilirubin production, and their use has been proposed as an attractive alternative strategy for preventing or treating severe hyperbilirubinemia.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008665	Metalloporphyrins	Porphyrins which are combined with a metal ion. The metal is bound equally to all four nitrogen atoms of the pyrrole rings. They possess characteristic absorption spectra which can be utilized for identification or quantitative estimation of porphyrins and porphyrin-bound compounds.	Metalloporphyrin
D006419	Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)	A mixed function oxidase enzyme which during hemoglobin catabolism catalyzes the degradation of heme to ferrous iron, carbon monoxide and biliverdin in the presence of molecular oxygen and reduced NADPH. The enzyme is induced by metals, particularly cobalt.	Haem Oxygenase,Heme Oxygenase,Oxygenase, Haem,Oxygenase, Heme
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001663	Bilirubin	A bile pigment that is a degradation product of HEME.	Bilirubin IX alpha,Bilirubin, (15E)-Isomer,Bilirubin, (4E)-Isomer,Bilirubin, (4E,15E)-Isomer,Bilirubin, Calcium Salt,Bilirubin, Disodium Salt,Bilirubin, Monosodium Salt,Calcium Bilirubinate,Hematoidin,delta-Bilirubin,Bilirubinate, Calcium,Calcium Salt Bilirubin,Disodium Salt Bilirubin,Monosodium Salt Bilirubin,Salt Bilirubin, Calcium,delta Bilirubin
D051556	Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal	Accumulation of BILIRUBIN, a breakdown product of HEME PROTEINS, in the BLOOD during the first weeks of life. This may lead to NEONATAL JAUNDICE. The excess bilirubin may exist in the unconjugated (indirect) or the conjugated (direct) form. The condition may be self-limiting (PHYSIOLOGICAL NEONATAL JAUNDICE) or pathological with toxic levels of bilirubin.	Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia,Direct Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal,Hyperbilirubinemia During Infancy,Indirect Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal,During Infancies, Hyperbilirubinemia,Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal Direct,Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal Indirect,Infancy, Hyperbilirubinemia During,Neonatal Direct Hyperbilirubinemia,Neonatal Indirect Hyperbilirubinemia