Relationship between Hepatic Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism and Morphology during Riboflavin Deficiency and Recovery in Mice

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Abstract
Changes in hepatic mitochondrial oxidative metabolism were examined during the development of severe riboflavin deficiency in mice, and during recovery from this deficiency. There was a marked reduction in oxidative rates for all substrates tested, with the decline being most pronounced with palmitoyl-1-carnitine. These effects were not enhanced by addition of galactoflavin to the riboflavin-deficient diet. Treatment of the deficient mice with riboflavin restored hepatic mitochondrial oxidation to normal within 24 hours in those mice fed a simple riboflavin deficient diet, but required 72 hours in galactoflavin-supplemented mice. These metabolic changes in hepatic mitochondria appear to be temporally independent of the striking morphological changes occurring in these organelles during ariboflavinosis and recovery.