Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (649 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A water-soluble, enzyme co-factor present in minute amounts in every living cell. It occurs mainly bound to proteins or polypeptides and is abundant in liver, kidney, pancreas, yeast, and milk.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Vitamin H; Biodermatin; Biokur; Biotin Gelfert; Gelfert, Biotin; Biotin Hermes; Hermes, Biotin; Deacura.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Imidazoles; Coenzymes
- See also
- Avidin; Multiple Carboxylase Deficiency; Biotinidase Deficiency; Holocarboxylase Synthetase Deficiency
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 15,491 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Biotin” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,545 of them (10.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 6,644 records.
Reviews account for 612 records (4.0%) and meta-analyses for 8. Randomized controlled trials number 43 (0.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 6,644 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,847 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,455 |
| 2020 onward | 1,545 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 612 | 4.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 8 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 43 | 0.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Biotin"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single particle cryo-EM reconstruction of 52 kDa streptavidin at 3.2 Angstrom resolution | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 139 | cc by PMID 31160591 · DOI · PMC6546690 |
| Cell type-specific biotin labeling in vivo resolves regional neuronal and astrocyte proteomic differences in mouse brain | 2022 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 122 | cc by PMID 35614064 · DOI · PMC9132937 |
| PROVIT: Supplementary Probiotic Treatment and Vitamin B7 in Depression-A Randomized Controlled Trial | 2020 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 108 | cc by PMID 33171595 · DOI · PMC7695208 |
| The Electric Field in Solid State Nanopores Causes Dissociation of Strong Biomolecular Interactions | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 40389804 · DOI · PMC12186603 |
Single particle cryo-EM reconstruction of 52 kDa streptavidin at 3.2 Angstrom resolution [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The fast development of single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has made it more feasible to obtain the 3D structure of well-behaved macromolecules with a molecular weight higher than 300 kDa at ~3 Å resolution.
- Closing excerpt
- We demonstrate that the method has the potential to determine the structures of molecules as small as 39 kDa.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (118 words)
The fast development of single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has made it more feasible to obtain the 3D structure of well-behaved macromolecules with a molecular weight higher than 300 kDa at ~3 Å resolution. However, it remains a challenge to obtain the high-resolution structures of molecules smaller than 200 kDa using single-particle cryo-EM. In this work, we apply the Cs-corrector-VPP-coupled cryo-EM to study the 52 kDa streptavidin (SA) protein supported on a thin layer of graphene and embedded in vitreous ice. We are able to solve both the apo-SA and biotin-bound SA structures at near-atomic resolution using single-particle cryo-EM. We demonstrate that the method has the potential to determine the structures of molecules as small as 39 kDa.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31160591 · DOI · PMC6546690
Cell type-specific biotin labeling in vivo resolves regional neuronal and astrocyte proteomic differences in mouse brain [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Proteomic profiling of brain cell types using isolation-based strategies pose limitations in resolving cellular phenotypes representative of their native state.
- Closing excerpt
- This approach will facilitate the characterization of cell-type specific proteomes in a diverse number of tissues under both physiological and pathological states.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (151 words)
Proteomic profiling of brain cell types using isolation-based strategies pose limitations in resolving cellular phenotypes representative of their native state. We describe a mouse line for cell type-specific expression of biotin ligase TurboID, for in vivo biotinylation of proteins. Using adenoviral and transgenic approaches to label neurons, we show robust protein biotinylation in neuronal soma and axons throughout the brain, allowing quantitation of over 2000 neuron-derived proteins spanning synaptic proteins, transporters, ion channels and disease-relevant druggable targets. Next, we contrast Camk2a-neuron and Aldh1l1-astrocyte proteomes and identify brain region-specific proteomic differences within both cell types, some of which might potentially underlie the selective vulnerability to neurological diseases. Leveraging the cellular specificity of proteomic labeling, we apply an antibody-based approach to uncover differences in neuron and astrocyte-derived signaling phospho-proteins and cytokines. This approach will facilitate the characterization of cell-type specific proteomes in a diverse number of tissues under both physiological and pathological states.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 35614064 · DOI · PMC9132937
PROVIT: Supplementary Probiotic Treatment and Vitamin B7 in Depression-A Randomized Controlled Trial [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Gut microbiota are suspected to affect brain functions and behavior as well as lowering inflammation status.
- Closing excerpt
- However, probiotic intervention compared to placebo only differed in microbial diversity profile, not in clinical outcome measures.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (240 words)
Gut microbiota are suspected to affect brain functions and behavior as well as lowering inflammation status. Therefore, an effect on depression has already been suggested by recent research. The aim of this randomized double-blind controlled trial was to evaluate the effect of probiotic treatment in depressed individuals. Within inpatient care, 82 currently depressed individuals were randomly assigned to either receive a multistrain probiotic plus biotin treatment or biotin plus placebo for 28 days. Clinical symptoms as well as gut microbiome were analyzed at the begin of the study, after one and after four weeks. After 16S rRNA analysis, microbiome samples were bioinformatically explored using QIIME, SPSS, R and Piphillin. Both groups improved significantly regarding psychiatric symptoms. Ruminococcus gauvreauii and Coprococcus 3 were more abundant and β-diversity was higher in the probiotics group after 28 days. KEGG-analysis showed elevated inflammation-regulatory and metabolic pathways in the intervention group. The elevated abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria after probiotic treatment allows speculations on the functionality of probiotic treatment in depressed individuals. Furthermore, the finding of upregulated vitamin B6 and B7 synthesis underlines the connection between the quality of diet, gut microbiota and mental health through the regulation of metabolic functions, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. Concluding, four-week probiotic plus biotin supplementation, in inpatient individuals with a major depressive disorder diagnosis, showed an overall beneficial effect of clinical treatment. However, probiotic intervention compared to placebo only differed in microbial diversity profile, not in clinical outcome measures.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33171595 · DOI · PMC7695208
The Electric Field in Solid State Nanopores Causes Dissociation of Strong Biomolecular Interactions [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Electrical sensing with nanopores has become a widely used bioanalytical tool.
- Closing excerpt
- These results show that nanopore sensors can give very inaccurate results when used for affinity-based detection or biomolecular interaction analysis and that the pore environment should be regarded as potentially invasive for the molecules inside.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (140 words)
Electrical sensing with nanopores has become a widely used bioanalytical tool. However, it remains unclear if and how the extremely strong electric field generated inside the pores influences biomolecular interactions. Here we show that the field disrupts the strongest known protein-ligand interaction in biology, namely biotin-avidin bonds. Remarkably, the lifetime of the interaction is decreased by at least 4 orders of magnitude. At hundreds of mV, avidin (from egg-white) starts dissociating from biotin-functionalized nanopores over a time scale of minutes even at the maximum bond valency of four. Streptavidin-coated nanoparticles, which form many more bonds, remain bound but exhibit surface mobility due to the field. These results show that nanopore sensors can give very inaccurate results when used for affinity-based detection or biomolecular interaction analysis and that the pore environment should be regarded as potentially invasive for the molecules inside.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40389804 · DOI · PMC12186603
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Structure and function of biotin-dependent carboxylases [5]
- Research article Streptavidin-biotin technology: improvements and innovations in chemical and biological applications [6]
- Research article The mechanism of biotin-dependent enzymes [7]
- Research article Pathway tracing using biotinylated dextran amines [8]
- Research article Introduction to avidin-biotin technology [9]
- Research article Mechanisms and regulation of biosynthesis of saturated fatty acids [10]
References
- Fan X, Wang J, Zhang X, Yang Z, Zhang JC, Zhao L, et al.. Single particle cryo-EM reconstruction of 52 kDa streptavidin at 3.2 Angstrom resolution. . 2019. PMID 31160591 · DOI · PMC6546690
- Rayaprolu S, Bitarafan S, Santiago JV, Betarbet R, Sunna S, Cheng L, et al.. Cell type-specific biotin labeling in vivo resolves regional neuronal and astrocyte proteomic differences in mouse brain. . 2022. PMID 35614064 · DOI · PMC9132937
- Reininghaus EZ, Platzer M, Kohlhammer-Dohr A, Hamm C, Mörkl S, Bengesser SA, et al.. PROVIT: Supplementary Probiotic Treatment and Vitamin B7 in Depression-A Randomized Controlled Trial. . 2020. PMID 33171595 · DOI · PMC7695208
- Liu W, Andersson J, Järlebark J, Shaji A, Sha J, Dahlin A. The Electric Field in Solid State Nanopores Causes Dissociation of Strong Biomolecular Interactions. . 2025. PMID 40389804 · DOI · PMC12186603
- Tong L. Structure and function of biotin-dependent carboxylases. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013. PMID 22869039 · DOI · PMC3508090
- Dundas CM, Demonte D, Park S. Streptavidin-biotin technology: improvements and innovations in chemical and biological applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013. PMID 24057405 · DOI
- Knowles JR. The mechanism of biotin-dependent enzymes. Annu Rev Biochem. 1989. PMID 2673009 · DOI
- Reiner A, Veenman CL, Medina L, Jiao Y, Del Mar N, Honig MG. Pathway tracing using biotinylated dextran amines. J Neurosci Methods. 2000. PMID 11074093 · DOI
- Wilchek M, Bayer EA. Introduction to avidin-biotin technology. Methods Enzymol. 1990. PMID 2201884 · DOI
- Volpe JJ, Vagelos PR. Mechanisms and regulation of biosynthesis of saturated fatty acids. Physiol Rev. 1976. PMID 6981 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.