Biliverdin is a green bile pigment produced from the oxidation of heme in a reaction catalyzed by heme oxygenase and is further reduced to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. Biliverdin regulates the cellular heme degradation process by inhibiting substrates from binding to the catalytic site of heme oxygenase. Bile pigments such as biliverdin are known to possess anti-mutagenic and antioxidant properties.
