Urobilinogen

Urobilinogen is a colorless oxidation product of the bile pigment bilirubin. Urobilinogen is formed from bilirubin in the intestine under the influence of various bacteria. Some of it is reabsorbed and returned to the liver; the remaining part is removed from the body with feces (traces of urobilinogen can sometimes also be found in urine). In air, urobilinogen oxidizes, turning into a brown pigment - urobilin.

Urobilinogen is a colorless breakdown product of bilirubin, which is formed in the liver and excreted from the body as part of bile. When it enters the intestines, urobilinogen is exposed to various bacteria, which convert it into urobilin, a brown pigment.

Urobilinogen is one of the main components involved in metabolism and maintaining the health of the body. It is necessary for the normal functioning of the liver and intestines.

However, if urobilinogen is not completely eliminated from the body, it can accumulate in the blood and cause various diseases, such as jaundice, cirrhosis of the liver and others. Therefore, it is important to monitor the level of urobilinogen in the blood and take measures to normalize it.

In addition, urobilinogen can be found in urine and feces. Traces of urobilinogen can sometimes remain in these secretions, which may indicate liver or intestinal problems.

Thus, urobilinogen plays an important role in our body, and its level should be within normal limits. If urobilinogen levels are elevated, this may indicate a health problem, so you should see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

One of the main components of bile is the pigment bilirubin. When the liver works hard, it is formed in excess and enters the intestines through the bile ducts. Here, after conjugation with acids, bilirubin is converted into urobilinogen. To do this, special bacteria in the intestines break it down and release it into the intestinal lumen. After this, the remaining part of the urobilinogens is excreted in the feces, and some is absorbed back into the blood and enters the liver, where it is conjugated with glucuronic acid and converted into an insoluble component (coproporphyrin).

When staining stool with the urobilin method, part of the insoluble component uroporphyrin also passes into an aqueous solution and, together with urobilin, turns brown. Thus, the urine will turn from light to brown in color, which may vary depending on the intensity of the liver. A large amount of urobilins in the urine indicates disturbances in the intestinal microflora or bacterial imbalance. If there is a large amount of urobilin pigment, you should consult a doctor for examination.

Detection of urobilin in feces is also possible in cases of gastrointestinal diseases. To test for urobilins, simply collect about half a teaspoon of feces and place it in a sterile tube, which should be taken to the laboratory for testing. It is important to collect material for analysis in the morning, after a night’s sleep, since the concentration of urobilinogen in feces is increased, which facilitates the identification process. Without following these rules, it is impossible to get an accurate result and give the right recommendations.

Urobilinogens or urobilins, metabolic products, are formed in the body of humans and animals when hemoglobin is broken down into bilirubin in the liver and red blood cells are stained. A compound called urodeoxycholic acid, a breakdown product of alloxan, also forms urobilinogenic pigments.

About 60-70% of bilirubin enters the feces as a result of intestinal dissolution of bilirubinate. About 3 g/day is excreted with bile, the rest accumulates in the feces. The loss of bilirubin is very significant, since about 2 mg/day of bilirubinamines enters the blood at the same time (only 0.4 mg of biliruban is contained in bile).

In urine, bilirubins are oxidized into urobillinoids, which are important for the diagnosis of certain diseases. Bilirubin is present in the urine of a healthy person in small quantities after eating.

Maintaining sufficiently high concentrations of bilirubinogenic pigments in the blood is an important indicator of the ability of the intestine to absorb bilirubin-like substances. Normally, urobilin pigments are completely excreted