Within several hours, the red blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid are destroyed, releasing their oxygen-carrying molecule heme, which is then metabolized by enzymes to bilirubin, a yellow pigment.
Red blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid are rapidly degraded within several hours, leading to the release of their oxygen-carrying molecule heme. Heme is subsequently metabolized by enzymes into bilirubin, a yellow pigment.