Bilirubin as a Modulator of WNK1 Protein Signaling: Implications for Neuroinflammatory Diseases.
Bilirubin as a Modulator of WNK1 Protein Signaling: Implications for Neuroinflammatory Diseases.
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
Jakarta, ID · Author affiliation
Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.Location evidence
Prague, CZ · Author affiliation
General University Hospital and 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.Location evidence
Trieste, IT · Author affiliation
Liver-Brain Unit "Rita Moretti,", Fondazione Italiana Fegato-ONLUS, Trieste, Italy.Location evidence
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Original abstract
Previously regarded merely as a potentially harmful waste product of heme catabolism, bilirubin has now emerged as a pleiotropic molecule with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hormone-like properties. Recent findings have revealed protective effects against cardiovascular, metabolic, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases, as well as neurological disorders. The growing understanding of neuroinflammatory processes has opened new avenues for exploring the role of bilirubin in neuroprotection. Despite the increasing number of studies investigating the protective effects of bilirubin in neurological diseases, the molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-inflammatory actions in the brain remain insufficiently understood. In this perspective article, With-No-Lysine (K) kinase 1 (WNK1) is discussed as a newly identified molecular target of bilirubin, highlighting its potential implications for neuroinflammatory diseases. The bilirubin-WNK1 axis may represent a previously unrecognized protective mechanism that could be leveraged to mitigate inflammation-driven neurodegeneration. This interaction can open new therapeutic opportunities for neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.