Riboflavin and gut inflammation in mice with induced colitis
What it found
In mice with chemically induced gut inflammation, riboflavin and bacteria that make riboflavin reduced intestinal damage and lowered inflammatory signals.
Pure riboflavin worked about as well as the bacteria.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Less visible gut damage
Mice given any of the four riboflavin-making bacteria had much less visible damage in their large intestines. Mice given pure riboflavin showed similar improvements compared to untreated mice.
Fewer germs reaching liver
Gut bacteria moved into the livers of untreated mice after the chemical injury. This movement dropped significantly in mice treated with riboflavin-making bacteria or pure riboflavin.
Lower inflammatory signals
Levels of several proteins that drive inflammation fell in the gut fluids of mice receiving the vitamin or the special bacteria. One bacterial strain also raised levels of a protein that calms inflammation.
Fewer stress enzyme cells
Cells making an enzyme linked to tissue stress were counted under a microscope. These cell numbers dropped in the intestines of mice given riboflavin or the bacteria that produce it.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that giving riboflavin-producing bacteria by mouth prevented gut damage caused by chemicals in mice, working similarly to pure riboflavin.
- They suggest that choosing probiotic bacteria based on their ability to make riboflavin could be a useful tool for preventing or treating inflammatory bowel diseases.
How it was done
Current treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases can be costly and cause unwanted side effects. The authors wanted to see if bacteria that naturally produce riboflavin could help reduce gut inflammation.
The researchers gave 52 female mice a chemical to trigger severe gut inflammation. For five days, they fed the mice either pure riboflavin, one of four types of bacteria that make riboflavin, or a type of bacteria that does not make it. They then examined the animals' intestines and livers for damage and signs of inflammation.
What it can’t tell you
- These results come from mice with chemically induced gut injuries, so they cannot show what happens in people with inflammatory bowel disease.
- A short five-day test in animals cannot reveal whether these benefits would last over time in humans.
The paper
- Title
- Effect of riboflavin-producing bacteria against chemically induced colitis in mice
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Levit R, Savoy de Giori G, de Moreno de LeBlanc A, LeBlanc JG (2018). Effect of riboflavin-producing bacteria against chemically induced colitis in mice. Journal of applied microbiology. doi:10.1111/jam.13622Free full textPubMed 29080295DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error