Riboflavin-producing bacteria and colitis in mice
What it found
In mice with chemically caused colitis, four riboflavin-producing bacterial strains reduced colon damage and inflammation.
Pure riboflavin given on its own produced similar benefits.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Colon damage
Mice given any of the four riboflavin-producing strains had lower scores for visible and tissue-level colon damage than untreated mice.
Microbes in liver
Mice given the riboflavin-producing strains had less movement of microbes to the liver than untreated mice.
Inflammation markers
The treated mice had fewer iNOs-positive cells in their large intestines and lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines.
Pure riboflavin
Giving pure riboflavin on its own led to similar benefits as the bacterial strains.
IL-10 with one strain
One strain, Lact. paracasei CRL76, also raised levels of IL-10, suggesting it has other helpful properties beyond making the vitamin.
What the authors conclude
“Administration of riboflavin-producing strains prevented the intestinal damage induced by TNBS in mice.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that giving riboflavin-producing strains prevented the intestinal damage caused by TNBS in mice.
- They say the ability to produce riboflavin in lactic acid bacteria is a strong way to select strains for preventing or treating IBD.
How it was done
The authors wanted to test whether individual probiotic strains of riboflavin-producing lactic acid bacteria have an anti-inflammatory effect in a mouse model of colitis.
Mice were given colitis by putting trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid into the rectum. They were then fed one of four riboflavin-producing strains, a strain that does not produce riboflavin, or commercial riboflavin by mouth. The researchers looked at colon damage and inflammation, movement of microbes to the liver, iNOs enzyme in intestinal tissue, and cytokine levels in intestinal fluids.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are mouse studies. They cannot show whether the same effects would happen in people.
- The findings are about a specific chemical model of colitis, not about colitis in people.
The paper
- Title
- Effect of riboflavin-producing bacteria against chemically induced colitis in mice
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- 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.13622PubMed 29080295DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error