What is "indirubin"

Indirubin \In`di*ru"bin\, n. [Indigo + L. ruber red.] (Chem.) A substance isomeric with, and resembling, indigo blue, and accompanying it as a side product, in its artificial production.

n. (context organic compound English) A substance isomeric with, and resembling, indigo blue.

Indirubin is a chemical compound most often produced as a byproduct of bacterial metabolism. For instance, it is one of the compounds responsible for the generally benign condition purple urine bag syndrome, resulting from bacteria metabolizing indoxyl sulfate found naturally in urine.

Indirubin is a chemical constituent of indigo naturalis (also known as qing dai), which has been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine. It is produced by collecting the waste products from the bacterial degradation of specific forms of vegetation.