Abstract
WE have shown in earlier publications1,2 that ascorbic acid and cysteine prevent the oxidation of bilirubin in alkaline medium. The effect of both substances was ascribed hypothetically to their anti-oxygen properties. The mechanism of action of the anti-oxygen agents had not been elucidated. On the other hand, the protective action of ascorbic acid and cysteine for bilirubin might equally be explained as a reducing one. If such a view is valid, one would expect oxidized bilirubin to be promptly reduced in alkaline solution, when vitamin C or cysteine is added.
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Barac, G., Bull. Soc. Chim. Biol., 21, 1163 (1939).
Barac, G., C.R. Soc. Biol., in the press.
Lambrechts, A., and Barac, G., Bull. Soc. Chim. Biol., 21, 1171 (1939).
Barac, G., and Roseman, R., Bull. Soc. Chim. Biol., in the press.
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BARAC, G. Anti-Oxygen Stabilization of Bilirubin in Alkaline Medium by Ascorbic Acid and Cysteine. Nature 158, 97 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158097b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/158097b0
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