Ronald J. Wong
Publication Details
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In vitro inhibition of heme oxygenase isoenzymes by metalloporphyrins.
J Perinatol. 2011: S35-41
Neonatal jaundice results from an increased bilirubin production and decreased hepatic bilirubin conjugation and excretion. Severe hyperbilirubinemia is currently treated with phototherapy or exchange transfusion; however, its prevention by inhibiting bilirubin formation is a more logical strategy. Heme oxygenase (HO), with inducible (HO-1) and constitutive (HO-2) isoenzymes, is the rate-limiting enzyme in heme catabolism, producing equimolar amounts of bilirubin and carbon monoxide (CO). Metalloporphyrins (Mps) are heme derivatives that competitively inhibit HO and thereby suppress hyperbilirubinemia. No systematic studies have been reported evaluating whether the HO isoenzymes are inhibited differentially by various Mps. Identification of Mps that selectively inhibit the inducible HO-1 without affecting the 'housekeeping' HO-2 isoenzyme might be desirable in the clinical setting of hemolytic disease, in which the Hmox1 gene is greatly induced. Although bilirubin production is due to the activity of both HO-1 and HO-2, the inhibition of HO-1 with a relative sparing of HO-2 activity might provide the most selective approach for the treatment of hemolytic disease.
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