Many processes of tissue injury and repair in adult organs proceed through a transient dedifferentiation to a more developmentally primitive state. Recent studies have suggested vitamin B12 administration during an injury may promote cell plasticity, improve recovery, and regeneration. In both mouse and cultured cell models, the researchers were able to deduce that vitamin B12 supplementation increased the efficacy of cell reprogramming, which is considered to be an early stage of tissue repair. In addition, vitamin B12 is involved in reactions producing a chemical tag, also known as a methyl donor, which induces regeneration/repair of tissue. Furthermore, researchers also found that intestinal cells initiating repair undergoes a process similar to cellular reprogramming, which could benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation. Although the research is still in early stages, and the precise mechanism remains elusive, it may unforeseeably address certain treatment unmet needs which are currently being faced by patients with ulcerative colitis.

References

Kovatcheva M, et al. Nat Metab. 2023 Nov;5(11):1911-1930.