Which method oxidizes bilirubin to colorless biliverdin?

Which method oxidizes bilirubin to colorless biliverdin?

• A. Bilirubinometer
• B. Bilirubin oxidase
• C. High-performance liquid chromatography
• D. Jendrassik-Grof

Answer: (B)

In this concept, bilirubin oxidase is the enzyme that performs the exact transformation: it oxidizes bilirubin to biliverdin, and biliverdin is colorless, so the pigment loses its color. This oxidation is used in some enzymatic assays to convert all bilirubin forms to a single, colorless product for measurement. The other options do not carry out this specific chemical change: a bilirubinometer is a device for measuring bilirubin levels optically without driving any chemical reaction; high-performance liquid chromatography separates and analyzes bilirubin species rather than oxidizing them to biliverdin; and the Jendrassik-Grof method measures bilirubin via formation of a colored azobilirubin through a diazo reaction, not by oxidizing bilirubin to biliverdin.

In this concept, bilirubin oxidase is the enzyme that performs the exact transformation: it oxidizes bilirubin to biliverdin, and biliverdin is colorless, so the pigment loses its color. This oxidation is used in some enzymatic assays to convert all bilirubin forms to a single, colorless product for measurement. The other options do not carry out this specific chemical change: a bilirubinometer is a device for measuring bilirubin levels optically without driving any chemical reaction; high-performance liquid chromatography separates and analyzes bilirubin species rather than oxidizing them to biliverdin; and the Jendrassik-Grof method measures bilirubin via formation of a colored azobilirubin through a diazo reaction, not by oxidizing bilirubin to biliverdin.