New research discovers why urine is the color yellow after over 150 years of mystery: study

health

by Richard Pollina

Scientists have some Master-I would like to share it with those who are wondering what gives urine its unique color.

For more than 150 years, it has been a mystery why human urine turns yellow.

But on Wednesday, a new study was published in the journal natural microbiology divided yellow code.

Researchers at the University of Maryland and the National Institutes of Health announced that they have identified bilirubin (BilR) as a key enzyme that makes liquid gold in humans, or…gold.

Urine consists of a mixture of water, electrolytes, and waste products filtered by the kidneys.

Scientists identified urobilin as the cause of the yellow pigmentation in urine in 1868, but the cause of the color puzzled researchers until recently.

“It's surprising that an everyday biological phenomenon went unexplained for so long, and our team is excited to be able to explain it,” said University of Maryland School of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. said Brantley Hall, assistant professor in the department. Maryland today.

This process occurs when red blood cells reach the end of their life cycle at six months and break down into the bright orange pigment bilirubin.

Normally, the dye begins to penetrate into the intestines, where it is excreted or partially reabsorbed.

The study found that once it reaches the intestines, microbes in the gut can convert bilirubin into a variety of other molecules.

“Gut bacteria encode the enzyme bilirubin reductase, which converts bilirubin into a colorless byproduct called urobilinogen,” Dr. Hall explained.

“The urobilinogen is then naturally broken down into a molecule called urobilin, which is responsible for the yellow color we are familiar with.”

The discovery of the true nature of urine (which plays an important role for doctors in helping diagnose a wide range of diseases and disorders in the human body) led to the discovery of the color yellow, which was described as “a significant part of the problem solved'' and “remarkable. ” has been hailed as a breakthrough. “Puzzles'' deepen your understanding of the human body.

“We're definitely standing on the shoulders of giants. If some of these old scientists had the technology that we have today, they probably would have discovered it,” Hall said. he said.

Hall, the study's lead author, said the bathroom discovery could pave the way for other medical advances to help combat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and jaundice, a condition in which a patient's skin, mucous membranes, and skin turn yellow. explained that it could lead to White of eyes.

“One of the main findings of our study is that this gene is often absent in newborns,” the researchers added.

The project aims to take the next step in human research, particularly in premature infants, who have a high rate of jaundice.

“Now that we have identified this enzyme, we can begin to investigate how bacteria in the gut influence circulating bilirubin levels and related health conditions, such as jaundice,” said study co-author and National Institutes of Health researcher. said researcher Xiaofang Jiang.

“This discovery lays the foundation for understanding the gut-liver axis.”

In addition to jaundice and inflammatory bowel disease, the gut microbiome has been linked to a variety of diseases and conditions, from allergies to arthritis.

This scientific advance brings researchers one step closer to understanding the role of the gut microbiome in human health.