Urobilin
Urobilin
Urobilin (pronounced: yoo-roh-bi-lin) is a biochemical compound that is responsible for the yellow color of urine. It is a product of the breakdown of hemoglobin in the body.
Etymology
The term "urobilin" is derived from the Greek words "ouro" meaning urine and "bilis" meaning bile. This is because urobilin is found in both urine and bile.
Biochemical Process
Urobilin is formed in the body through a series of biochemical reactions. The process begins with the breakdown of hemoglobin in the spleen. This produces biliverdin, which is then converted into bilirubin. Bilirubin is transported to the liver, where it is converted into bilirubin diglucuronide and excreted into the bile duct. In the intestine, bilirubin diglucuronide is converted into urobilinogen by the action of intestinal bacteria. Some of the urobilinogen is reabsorbed into the bloodstream and excreted in the urine as urobilin, giving urine its characteristic yellow color.
Related Terms
- Hemoglobin: The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.
- Biliverdin: A green tetrapyrrolic bile pigment, and is a product of heme catabolism.
- Bilirubin: A yellow compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates.
- Bilirubin diglucuronide: A form of bilirubin that has been conjugated with glucuronic acid in the liver to make it water-soluble.
- Urobilinogen: A colorless by-product of bilirubin reduction. It is formed in the intestines by bacterial action.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Urobilin
- Wikipedia's article - Urobilin
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski