Hyperbilirubinemia results in reduced oxidative injury in neonatal gunn rats exposed to hyperoxia

Factors Affecting Plasma Bilirubin in Preterm Infants Ventilated for Respiratory Distress Syndrome

“…5 Bilirubin itself is consumed in the tissues during oxidative stress in the first days of life in neonatal rats. 4,6 Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis of lung diseases such as RDS and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 7 Dennery et al 6 studied rat pups and found decreased lipid peroxides in jaundiced pups compared with their nonjaundiced littermates.…”

“…4,6 Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis of lung diseases such as RDS and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 7 Dennery et al 6 studied rat pups and found decreased lipid peroxides in jaundiced pups compared with their nonjaundiced littermates. Valdes-Dapena et al 8 described the lungs of 16 preterm infants who died of RDS in which bilirubin deposition caused yellow staining of pulmonary hyaline membranes.…”

In vitro inhibition of heme oxygenase isoenzymes by metalloporphyrins

“…However, it would be desirable, if not important, to maintain differentially the activity of the 'housekeeping' HO-2 isoenzyme, which may have a role in the production of CO necessary for physiological functioning, 25 and of bilirubin for the maintenance of tissue antioxidant levels. 26,27 Alternatively, the selective inhibition of HO-2 could allow the study of the function of HO-2, as well as the physiological roles for CO and bilirubin.…”

A randomized trial of aggressive versus conservative phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia in infants weighing less than 1500 g: Short- and long-term outcomes

“…Treatment practices for low birth weight infants vary from all infants receiving aggressive prophylactic phototherapy to treatment levels close to those recommended for healthy, term infants. In recent years, there has been emerging evidence that bilirubin may have some beneficial antioxidant properties in these infants at risk for oxygen toxicities such as chronic lung disease of prematurity, retinopathy of prematurity and intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia (18)(19)(20)(21). In the present study, we sought to determine whether there was any benefit of using aggressive phototherapy rather than conservative phototherapy at a predetermined bilirubin level in infants weighing less than 1500 g at birth, and to examine the possible short-and long-term outcomes of infants treated using the two treatment protocols.…”