Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science) ›› 2022, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (8): 1139-1144.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2022.08.020

• Review • Previous Articles    

Progress in the study of the effect of bilirubin on the central nervous system and its mechanism

LIU Zhenqi(), SHI Haibo(), YIN Shankai   

  1. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; Otolaryngology Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200233, China
  • Received:2022-05-12 Accepted:2022-08-10 Online:2022-08-28 Published:2022-10-08
  • Contact: SHI Haibo E-mail:liuzhenqi@sjtu.edu.cn;hbshi@sjtu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Shanghai Municipal Education Commission—Gaofeng Clinical Medicine Grant Support(20152233);Shanghai Leading Talent Program of Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security(2017062);Innovative Research Team of High-level Local Universities in Shanghai(SHSMU-ZLCX20211702)

Abstract:

In the World Hearing Report published by the World Health Organization in 2021, neonatal jaundice hyperbilirubinemia is identified as one of the major risk factors for sensorineural deafness, which can lead to multisystem neurological damage, including the auditory center. Bilirubin is a physiological metabolite of heme, and the basic physiological metabolic transport pathways of bilirubin have been fully understood. But the incidence of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is still at a high level. Severe hyperbilirubinemia seriously affects neonatal neurological development, and even has a risk of disability. In the past 20 years, this electrophysiology research team of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Sixth Hospital for short) has been the first in the world to conduct studies on the excitability of bilirubin on neurons, reveal the effects of bilirubin on a series of ion channels and receptors, elaborate the excitotoxic mechanism of bilirubin-induced central damage, and explore potential antagonistic drugs. This paper combined previous studies with the findings of the electrophysiology research team of the Sixth Hospital to describe the effects of bilirubin on the central nervous system and its mechanisms, and discuss the interaction between bilirubin and glial cells and the potential benefits of bilirubin. The mechanisms of bilirubin's toxicological effects are complex and include a wide range of regulatory effects of high bilirubin concentrations on synaptic structures, ion channels and receptors, lipid bilayer membranes and energy metabolism. This review aims to provide theoretical support for better understanding and prevention of bilirubin neurotoxicity.

Key words: bilirubin, central nervous system, excitotoxicity, ion channel, receptor

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