Pantethine

Pantethine (bis-pantethine or co-enzyme pantethine) is a dimeric form of pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅). It is composed of two molecules of pantothenic acid linked by cysteamine bridging groups. The monomer of this compound is known as pantetheine and is an intermediate in the production of Coenzyme A by the body. Pantethine is considered the more biologically active form of vitamin B₅, but it is less stable, decomposing over time if it is not kept refrigerated. Most vitamin B₅ supplements are therefore in the form of calcium pantothenate, a salt of pantothenic acid.

Dietary supplementation

Pantethine is available as a dietary supplement because of evidence of its health benefits, and is used to treat acne and improve the blood-cholesterol profile. It is marketed as the main ingredient in OTC supplements for the treatment of acne, and is reportedly used to treat gout and chronic fatigue syndrome. There is no upper tolerable intake, according to the FDA.

In multiple clinical trials of patients with elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol were decreased by 12%, triglycerides decreased by 18%, and HDL cholesterol was increased by 9%. These clinical trials were conducted with daily intakes ranging from 600 to 1200 mg/day. Within this dose range there is no evidence of a dose-effect relationship, i.e. changes in lipid concentrations overlapped across the range of doses. Direct dose-response evidence is not available because no trial tested more than one dose. A few trials tested 300 mg/day with more modest but still statistically significant results.