Scientists discover vitamin B2 may help cancer cells survive

Vitamin B2 is essential for human health, but new research suggests it may also help cancer cells stay alive. Also known as riboflavin, vitamin B2 cannot be produced by the body and must come from food sources such as dairy products, eggs, meat, and green vegetables. Once absorbed, the vitamin is converted into molecules that help protect cells from oxidative damage and support other important biological functions.

Scientists at the Rudolf Virchow Centre (RVZ) at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have now discovered that this protective effect may come with a serious drawback. Their findings show that vitamin B2 metabolism can also shield cancer cells from destruction. "Vitamin B2 plays a crucial role in protecting cancer cells from ferroptosis, a special form of programmed cell death," says PhD student Vera Skafar. She is part of the research team led by José Pedro Friedmann Angeli, Professor of Translational Cell Biology. The study was published in Nature Cell Biology . Programmed cell death is one of the body's natural defense systems. It allows damaged or dangerous cells to die in a controlled way without triggering inflammation in nearby tissue. Ferroptosis is one type of this process and has been linked to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other serious conditions. Ferroptosis occurs when iron-driven damage to cell membranes overwhelms a cell's antioxidant defenses. Cancer cells often avoid this fate by strengthening systems that protect them from oxidative stress. The new study found that vitamin B2 metabolism plays an important role in these protective defenses. According to the researchers, this means that blocking riboflavin-related pathways could make tumors more vulnerable to ferroptosis and easier to destroy.

Key points

• Scientists at the Rudolf Virchow Centre (RVZ) at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have now discovered that this protective effect may come with a serious drawback.
• Their findings show that vitamin B2 metabolism can also shield cancer cells from destruction.
• "Vitamin B2 plays a crucial role in protecting cancer cells from ferroptosis, a special form of programmed cell death," says PhD student Vera Skafar.
• She is part of the research team led by José Pedro Friedmann Angeli, Professor of Translational Cell Biology.
• The study was published in Nature Cell Biology .