bile pigments

views updated

bile pigments pl. n. coloured compounds – breakdown products of the blood pigment haemoglobin – that are excreted in bile. The two most important bile pigments are bilirubin, which is orange or yellow, and its oxidized form biliverdin, which is green. Mixed with the intestinal contents, they give the brown colour to the faeces (see urobilinogen).

More From encyclopedia.com