Editing Bilirubin (section)

== Health benefits ==
In the absence of liver disease, high levels of total bilirubin confers various health benefits.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Sedlak TW, Snyder SH |date=June 2004 |title=Bilirubin benefits: cellular protection by a biliverdin reductase antioxidant cycle |journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]] |volume=113 |issue=6 |pages=1776–82 |doi=10.1542/peds.113.6.1776 |pmid=15173506}}</ref> Studies have also revealed that levels of serum bilirubin (SBR)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/neonatal/html/newprot/jaund2.html |title=Neonatal Jaundice |publisher=Slhd.nsw.gov.au |date=2009-08-24 |accessdate=2022-03-16 |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127135902/https://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/neonatal/html/newprot/jaund2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> are inversely related to risk of certain heart diseases.<ref name="Novotn">{{cite journal |vauthors=Novotný L, Vítek L |date=May 2003 |title=Inverse relationship between serum bilirubin and atherosclerosis in men: a meta-analysis of published studies |journal=[[Experimental Biology and Medicine (Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine journal)|Experimental Biology and Medicine]] |volume=228 |issue=5 |pages=568–71 |doi=10.1177/15353702-0322805-29 |pmid=12709588 |s2cid=43486067}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Schwertner HA, Vítek L |date=May 2008 |title=Gilbert syndrome, UGT1A1*28 allele, and cardiovascular disease risk: possible protective effects and therapeutic applications of bilirubin |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1258770 |journal=[[Atherosclerosis (journal)|Atherosclerosis]] |volume=198 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.01.001 |pmid=18343383}}</ref> While the poor solubility and potential toxicity of bilirubin limit its potential medicinal applications, current research is being done on whether bilirubin encapsulated silk fibrin nanoparticles can alleviate symptoms of disorders such as acute pancreatitis.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yao |first1=Q. |last2=Jiang |first2=X. |last3=Zhai |first3=Yuan-Yuan |last4=Luo |first4=Lan-Zi |last5=Xu |first5=He-Lin |last6=Xiao |first6=J. |last7=Kou |first7=L. |last8=zhao |first8=Ying-Zheng |date=2020 |title=Protective effects and mechanisms of bilirubin nanomedicine against acute pancreatitis |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168365920301863 |journal=[[Journal of Controlled Release]] |volume=332 |pages=312–325 |doi=10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.03.034 |pmid=32243974 |access-date=11 November 2021 |via=[[Elsevier Science Direct]] |s2cid=214786812}}</ref> In addition to this, there have been recent discoveries linking bilirubin and its ε-polylysine-bilirubin conjugate (PLL-BR), to more efficient insulin medication. It seems that bilirubin exhibits protective properties during the islet transplantation process when drugs are delivered throughout the bloodstream.<ref name="SciFinderb">{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Ying-Zheng |last2=Huang |first2=Zhi-Wei |last3=Zhai |first3=Yuan-Yuan |last4=Shi |first4=Yannan |last5=Du |first5=Chu-Chu |last6=Zhai |first6=Jiaoyuan |last7=Xu |first7=He-Lin |last8=Xiao |first8=Jian |last9=Kou |first9=Longfa |last10=Yao |first10=Qing |date=2021 |title=Polylysine-bilirubin conjugates maintain functional islets and promote M2 macrophage polarization |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1742706120307704#! |journal=[[Acta Biomaterialia]] |volume=122 |pages=172–185 |doi=10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.047 |pmid=33387663 |access-date=11 November 2021 |via=Elsevier Science Direct |s2cid=230281925}}</ref>