Stercobilin is a fecal pigment and a metabolite of the heme catabolite bilirubin .1 It induces DNA damage in a comet assay in HepG2 cells when used at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 17 µM.2 Stercobilin (20 and 30 µM) induces activation of NF-κB in a reporter assay and increases the expression of the genes encoding TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and COX-2 in RAW 264.7 macrophages.3 Fecal and plasma levels of stercobilin are increased in ob/ob mice.
1.VÍtek, L., Majer, F., MuchovÁ, L., et al.Identification of bilirubin reduction products formed by Clostridium perfringens isolated from human neonatal fecal floraJ. Chromatogr. B Analyt. Technol. Biomed. Life Sci.833(2)149-157(2006) 2.MÖlzer, C., Pfleger, B., Putz, E., et al.In vitro DNA-damaging effects of intestinal and related tetrapyrroles in human cancer cellsExp. Cell Res.319(4)536-545(2013) 3.Sanada, S., Suzuki, T., Nagata, A., et al.Intestinal microbial metabolite stercobilin involvement in the chronic inflammation of ob/ob miceSci. Rep.10(1)6479(2020)