Question

Develop a hypothesis to explain why albumin in the blood can serve as a nonspecific carrier for such diverse substances as bilirubin, calcium ion and fatty acids

Answer 1

?The influence of fatty acids on the albumin binding of bilirubin was studied in vitro in the plasma of infants with neonatal hyperbilirubineamia and in solotions .Employing crytalline albumin to which bilirubin saturation index (SI) was utilized to distinguish between that fraction of bilirubin bound at the primary (heigh-affinity) sites of albumin and bilirubin bound at secondary site from which it is easily dissociated by salicylate. The relative saturation of albumin with bilirubin was also measured by addition of salicylate to whole blood sample where bilirubin dissociated from the albumin could be sequestered by the red cell . FFA influence the binding of bilirubine in two ways. At molar ratios of FFA to albumin , the FFA complete with bilirubin is tranaported at secondary site, making it susceptible to displacement by water - soluble organic anions. At heigh molar ratios ( greater than 5:1) FFA compete with bilirubin for albumin binding at the secondary sites as well . In contrast to crystalline albumin where the first two molar equivalents of FFA do not influence the binding of bilirubin to albumin , all FFA concentrations in hyperbilirubinemic plasma reduce the affinity of albumin for bilirubin at its heigh - affinity site even though there is a molar excess of albumin over bilirubin.