Toxicity of bilirubin and bilirubin diglucuronide to rat tissue culture fibroblasts.

The effects of obstructive and non-obstructive jaundice on rat tissue culture fibroblasts have been compared. Tissue culture fibroblasts were grown in medium containing unconjugated bilirubin and medium containing conjugated bilirubin (bilirubin diglucuronide). The addition of bilirubin to the culture medium caused morphological changes in the fibroblasts and significantly decreased their rate of multiplication. The addition of bilirubin diglucuronide had no effect. As the fibroblast plays an important role in wound healing, patients with obstructive jaundice (where surgery is most frequently required) may be less likely to undergo wound failure than patients with non-obstructive jaundice.