A Vitamin B5 Compound Shows Early Promise Against Psoriasis in Mice and a Small Human Trial

A study published October 27 in the *Journal of Experimental Medicine* suggests that pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5 sold as a supplement, may help calm the immune overreaction behind psoriasis. It is early research, and pantethine is not an established treatment for the condition.

What the researchers found

A team led by scientists at the State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis in Beijing, with Wei-Na Zhang among the lead authors, studied a pathway they call the Vanin-pantethine-cholesterol axis. Vanin enzymes break down pantethine; when that happens in immune cells called dendritic cells, cholesterol production rises and the cells become overactive, fuelling inflammation.

• In mice, giving pantethine prevented psoriasis from developing
• A drug that blocks Vanin enzymes also prevented it in mice
• Vanin enzymes were elevated in dendritic cells from people with psoriasis and several other autoimmune diseases

A small human trial

The team also ran a short proof-of-concept trial with 24 people who have psoriasis. Everyone used a standard topical ointment, and half also took pantethine tablets for 12 weeks. Those taking pantethine improved more, especially people who began with high blood cholesterol.

Why it matters, and the caveats

Psoriasis is a chronic condition with no cure, and a clearer picture of the immune mechanism could point toward new treatment ideas. But the evidence is preliminary: the human trial was small and investigator-initiated, and the release does not report detailed statistics or long-term safety data. Zhang described the results as proof-of-concept for clinical feasibility rather than direct validation of the mechanism.

Larger, controlled trials would be needed before anyone could say whether pantethine works as an add-on therapy. People with psoriasis should talk with their own clinician before trying any supplement.