❯❯ MEDICAL APPLICATION Jaundice denotes a yellowish discoloration of the skin and is caused by accumulation in extracellular fluid of bilirubin and other pigmented compounds, which are normally metabolized by SER enzymes in cells of the liver and excreted as bile. A frequent cause of jaundice in newborn infants is an underdeveloped state of SER in liver cells, with failure of bilirubin to be converted to a form that can be readily excreted.