Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B₂, is a vitamin found in food and sold as a dietary supplement. It is essential to the formation of two major coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. Additional technical information: riboflavin is a yellow to orange crystalline compound with molecular formula C17H20N4O6 and molar mass 376.36 g/mol. It functions as the biosynthetic precursor of FMN and FAD, which act as prosthetic groups in flavoproteins catalyzing one- and two-electron transfer reactions in mitochondrial electron transport, dehydrogenation reactions, and several monooxygenase and oxidase systems. Riboflavin absorbs in the near-UV and visible region with characteristic bands near 270 nm and 370 to 450 nm, is relatively stable under acidic conditions, and undergoes photodegradation in the presence of light, oxygen, and alkaline pH to give lumiflavin and lumichrome among other products. In industrial and analytical practice riboflavin is characterized by HPLC with UV-visible detection, by UV-visible spectroscopy, and by mass spectrometry for identity and purity.
Parent: Riboflavin
Parent: Vitamin B2 / Riboflavin
Commercial riboflavin raw material is typically specified with a high assay and low related-substance content; typical assay values fall in the range of about 98.0 to 99.5 percent w/w by validated HPLC methods. Known related compounds and degradation products include lumiflavin, lumichrome, cyclodehydroriboflavin and minor oxidation or hydrolysis products formed by light, heat or alkaline conditions. Typical single-related impurity levels for lumiflavin or lumichrome are commonly observed below 0.1 to 0.5 percent each in well-controlled material, with the sum of related substances generally specified to be below about 1.0 to 2.0 percent depending on supplier or pharmacopeial limits. Other quality attributes include moisture content often controlled below 1 to 5 percent, residual solvents kept within ICH Q3C limits when used in synthesis, and elemental impurities maintained at levels consistent with ICH Q3D guidance or pharmacopeial specifications.
No, Vitamin B12 is cobalamin, a chemically distinct cobalt-containing compound, whereas riboflavin is vitamin B2; they are different vitamins with different biochemical roles.
Riboflavin serves as the precursor for FMN and FAD, cofactors for flavoproteins that mediate redox reactions critical to cellular energy production, fatty acid oxidation, amino acid metabolism, antioxidant defenses and activation or metabolism of other vitamins.
Riboflavin deficiency, termed ariboflavinosis, presents with signs such as sore throat, cheilosis, angular stomatitis, glossitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and sometimes anemia or neuropathic symptoms; it results from inadequate intake, malabsorption, or increased requirement and is diagnosed by clinical signs and biochemical tests such as erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient or low plasma riboflavin.
Riboflavin supplementation can resolve oral lesions caused specifically by riboflavin deficiency, but it is not a general cure for all mouth ulcers; common aphthous ulcers have multiple causes and do not reliably respond to riboflavin unless a deficiency is present, so evaluation by a healthcare professional is recommended.
