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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Inactivation of Pathogens via Visible-Light Photolysis of Riboflavin-5′-Phosphate
Published on: April 6, 2022
A possible anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic effect of irradiated riboflavin in solid tumours
Karla Cristiana de Souza Queiroz1, Willian Fernando Zambuzzi, Ana Carolina Santos de Souza
1Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil.
Abstract:
Riboflavin is a potent photosensitizer as well as part of the vitamin B complex. Recently we demonstrated that the products generated by irradiation of riboflavin have potential as anti-leukaemic therapy. The possible action, however, of the riboflavin photoproducts in solid cancers has not been addressed. Hence, we investigated the effects of irradiated riboflavin on androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells (PC3), a known model for solid tumour cells with an exceptional resistance to therapy. Our results show that riboflavin photoproducts are cytotoxic to these cells in a FasL-Fas-dependent manner. Furthermore, irradiated riboflavin inhibited matrix-degrading proteases, caused downregulation of VEGF and upregulation of TIMP1 suggesting anti-metastatic potential. Together, these results show that the anti-neoplastic action of riboflavin photoproducts is not limited to haematological malignancies, warranting clinical studies in solid tumours.
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