Stercobilin

Stercobilin is the main pigment of feces. Stercobilin is the main pigment of feces and is formed as a result of the oxidation of stercobilin, which accumulates in the intestines and is excreted with feces. In this article we will look at how exactly stercobilin is formed in the body and what functions it performs.

Formation of stercobilin in the body

Stercobillin is a natural pigment found in feces. It is the main pigment of feces, which is formed as a result of the oxidation of bilirubin (a breakdown product of hemoglobin) in light in the presence of oxygen.

In a healthy human body, stercobillium is formed in the intestines and is excreted from the body in feces. In this case, its main component is stercobillinagen, contained in bile. However, some people may have increased concentrations of stercobilin in their stool, which appears as dark, green, or orange colored stool. This phenomenon may indicate pathology of the biliary tract or liver. Often such pigmented feces are observed in severe inflammatory bowel diseases. Elevated levels of stercobinin in the blood can also lead to changes in skin and hair pigmentation. Stercobillin is an important indicator of intestinal health and can detect certain diseases. Therefore, a stool test for stercobillin is useful for diagnosing diseases of the liver, biliary system, small intestine and other organs of the gastrointestinal tract. However, such tests are not often prescribed, since the method is nonspecific and does not provide a complete picture of all the processes that can occur in the body. Additionally, stool test results may be false positive or false negative depending on many factors such as diet, physical activity, gut health, and others.