Riboflavin metabolism: role in mitochondrial function

Abstract

Riboflavin, known as vitamin B2, a water-soluble vitamin, is an essential nutrient in vertebrates, hence adequate dietary intake is imperative. Riboflavin plays a role in a variety of metabolic pathways, serving primarily as an integral component of its crucial biologically active forms, the flavocoenzymes flavin adenine dinucleotide and flavin mononucleotide. These flavocoenzymes ensure the functionality of numerous flavoproteins including dehydrogenases, oxidases, monooxygenases, and reductases, which play pivotal roles in mitochondrial electron transport chain, β-oxidation of fatty acids, redox homeostasis, citric acid cycle, branched-chain amino acid catabolism, chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, protein folding, and apoptosis. Unsurprisingly, impairment of flavin homeostasis in humans has been linked to various diseases including neuromuscular and neurological disorders, abnormal fetal development, and cardiovascular diseases. This review presents an overview of riboflavin metabolism, its role in mitochondrial function, primary and secondary flavocoenzyme defects associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, and the role of riboflavin supplementation in these conditions.

Effects of Chronic Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Exposure on Cognitive Performance and Metabolic Pathways in the Hippocampus of Wild-Type and Human Tau Mice

“…FAD plays an important role in mitochondrial function (Balasubramaniam and Yaplito-Lee 2020). Because mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of cognitive decline, and FAD is a coenzyme involved in the conversion of the inactive form of glutathione, GSSG, to the active form, GSH (Deponte 2013), this establishes a direct link between depletion of FAD and oxidative stress.…”

Mechanistic Insights into the Voltammetric Determination of Riboflavin at Poly (Serine) Modified Graphite and Carbon Nanotube Composite Paste Electrode

“…[1,2] They have a predominant role for the mitochondrial energy production carried out by electron transport chain, oxidation of fatty acids, metabolism of niacin, folate and pyridoxine, catabolism of dopamine and serotonin, activation of glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase. [3][4][5] Therefore, its need is important for human health as it is not synthesized within the body, so RF is ingested by ingestion of food like meat, fatty fish, egg, particular fruits and vegetables mainly dark green vegetables. [6] Pregnancy women are insisted to have higher amount of RF as it passes through placenta.…”

3D Multicellular Stem-Like Human Breast Tumor Spheroids Enhance Tumorigenicity of Orthotopic Xenografts in Athymic Nude Rat Model

“…It is noteworthy that riboflavin accumulation was superior in the 3D spheroids compared to 2D monolayers, suggesting that the heterotransplantation of spheroids delivers a substantial number of tumor- initiating cells at the orthotopic site. Riboflavin plays an integral role in various metabolic functions and pathways [ 56 ]. Interestingly, the association of riboflavin as a marker of increased mitochondrial potential and elevated CSC activity was shown when diphenyleneiodonium chloride treatment was used to confer a mitochondrial-deficient phenotype that depleted CSCs, namely, through reduction of CD44 and CD24 [ 30 ].…”