Relationships between serum (ZZ)-bilirubin, its subfractions and biliverdin concentrations in infants at 1-month check-ups

Abstract

In 150 infants, including those with breast milk jaundice, who were brought to our hospital for their 1-month check-ups, the serum concentrations of (ZZ)-bilirubin, its subfractions and biliverdin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and the relationships among them investigated. (ZZ)Bilirubin was found to have the highest serum concentration, followed by (ZE)bilirubin, accounting for 14·0 (geometric mean) % of (ZZ)-bilirubin. Biliverdin had a serum concentration of 0·95% of (ZZ)-bilirubin. There was only a small amount of total (di- and mono-) glucuronosyl bilirubin, 0·42% of (ZZ)-bilirubin. (ZE)Bilirubin, (EZ)-bilirubin, (EZ)-cyclobilirubin, biliverdin, diglucuronosyl bilirubin and monoglucuronosyl bilirubin (C-8 and C-12) showed positive logarithmic correlations with (ZZ)-bilirubin ( R2=0·16 or above, P <0·05). (ZE)-Bilirubin showed a significant positive logarithmic correlation with (ZZ)-bilirubin ( R2=0·863, P <0·0001). Furthermore, (EZ)-cyclobilirubin, the most important photoisomer in phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia, was detected in very small amounts in approximately half of the neonates (84 of 150) when they were in conditions of only weak ambient light. The relationship between total glucuronosyl bilirubin and (ZZ)-bilirubin concentrations fitted a model of saturation kinetics of bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase.