Intestinal absorption of riboflavin, studied by an in situ circulation system using radioactive analogues

The intestinal absorption of riboflavin was studied using radioactive riboflavin and its analogues 8-demethylriboflavin, 3-methylriboflavin, 5'-deoxyriboflavin, 2'-deoxyriboflavin, 7,8-dimethyl-10-hydroxyethylisoalloxazine, lumiflavin, lumichrome, and riboflavin-5'-monosulfate, which were synthesized with high specific radioactivity. A specific absorption of riboflavin at dietary concentrations was confirmed using an in situ circulation system. The relation between the chemical structure of flavins and the absorption mechanism was studied using this system. The 8-demethylriboflavin, an analogue modified at benzene moiety of the isoalloxazine ring, was absorbed in a similar way to riboflavin, by dual kinetics: by a process specific for riboflavin at dietary concentrations and by simple diffusion (nonspecific absorption) predominating at higher concentrations (over 100 microM). However, 3-methylriboflavin and analogues modified at the ribityl group, including 5'-deoxyriboflavin, were absorbed only via simple diffusion even at dietary concentrations. Many flavins examined, except for 3-isobutylriboflavin, 3-carboxymethylriboflavin, lumichrome, and riboflavin-5'-monosulfate, interfered with the specific absorption of riboflavin. It was concluded from these results that one of the specific absorption processes for riboflavin is a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation process. Four water-soluble vitamins did not interfere with the specific absorption of riboflavin, indicating that these vitamins do not share a common specific absorption pathway with riboflavin.