CHAPTER 36: Riboflavin Uptake

Water-soluble riboflavin is taken up by the mammalian cells via specialized systems of transport, which have been are extensively studied, especially in in vitro experiments using different model cell lines. The results obtained in in vitro experiments considerably extend the knowledge, which has been gained from the research conducted in vivo, because they explain the mechanisms of absorption. In this review, which focuses on human absorption, the evidences on the involvement of passive and active, carrier-mediated and receptor-mediated mechanisms of riboflavin uptake are presented. Despite the fact that recognized mechanisms of riboflavin uptake are not the same in all examined cells and organs, most of the same modulators and regulators affect the uptake of riboflavin.