Role of parietal (gallbladder musocal) factors in the formation of 'black' pigment gallstones. A response to A. Cariati and E. Piromalli's letter to the editor
2012
Abstract
Bilirubin belongs to a phylogenetically old superfamily of tetrapyrrolic compounds, which have multiple biological functions. Although for decades bilirubin was believed to be only awaste product of the heme catabolic pathway at best, and a potentially toxic compound at worst; recent data has convincingly demonstrated that mildly elevated serum bilirubin levels are strongly associated with a lower prevalence of oxidative stress-mediated diseases.
Indeed, serum bilirubin has been consistently shown to be negatively correlated to cardiovascular diseases, as well as to related diseases and risk factors such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.