Bilirubin conformational enantiomer selection in sodium deoxycholate chiral micelles

Intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded, bichromophoric tetrapyrrole pigments, bilirubin-IX and mesobilirubin-XIII, adopt either of two enantiomeric conformations which are in dynamic equilibrium in solution. InpH 8 aqueous sodium deoxycholate solutions, chiral micelles preferentially select one conformational enantiomer, and the solutions exhibit a bisignate circular dichroism Cotton effect in the vicinity of the bilirubin long wavelength electronic transition. Exciton coupling theory indicates a predominance of the left-handed (or negative) chirality bilirubin conformational enantiomer.