Significance of Riboflavin (Vitamin-B2) for Health

Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is the vitamin formerly known as G. It is an easily absorbed colored micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and other animals. Riboflavin is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B2 is required for a wide variety of cellular processes. It plays a key role in energy metabolism, and for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies,carbohydrates, and proteins.The name "riboflavin " comes from "ribose " (the sugar whose reduced form,ribitol, forms part of its structure) and "flavin", the ring-moiety which imparts the yellow color to the oxidized molecule (from Latin flavus, "yellow"). The reduced form, which occurs in metabolism along with the oxidized form, is colorless. Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) function as cofactors for a wide variety of oxidative enzymes and remain bound to the enzymes during the oxidation-reduction reactions. Flavins can act as oxidizing agents because of their ability to accept a pair of hydrogen atoms. Reduction of isoalloxazine ring (FAD, FMN oxidized form) yields the reduced forms of the flavoproteins (FMNH2 and FADH2). Current interest is focused on the role that riboflavin plays a role determining circulating concentrations of homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Other mechanisms have been proposed for a protective role of riboflavin in ischemia reperfusion injury; this requires further study