Effect of lactate, pyruvate, acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate on albumin binding of bilirubin.

Lactate, pyruvate, acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate were tested for their bilirubin-displacing effect on human serum albumin. Only lactate had a significant effect at levels found in asphyxiated infants (up to 20 mM). The reserve albumin equivalent for binding bilirubin was determined, using the deputy ligand monoacetyldiaminodiphenyl sulfone (MADDS), in adult human serum albumin solution, neonatal serum, and neonatal albumin solution. Twenty mM lactate caused a 23% decrease of reserve albumin when adult albumin was used, but did not cause any change of binding when neonatal serum or neonatal albumin solution was used. It is unlikely that endogenous substances, acting as competitive ligands, cause the low binding affinity of albumin for bilirubin in sick, premature infants.