Vitamin B5 measurement is used to assess hypovitaminosis and monitor supplement therapy.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin. Pantothenic acid and its derivatives are found in all cells as an integral part of acylation vectors and coenzyme A (CoA). Coenzyme A is required for the synthesis of the necessary fatty acids, cholesterol, and steroid hormones, as well as acetylcholine and melatonin. Coenzyme A is an integral part of the Krebs cycle and the catabolism of fatty acids and proteins, the synthesis of heme, a component of hemoglobin, and the catabolism of certain drugs in the liver. Protein acetylation is thought to play an important role in cell division, DNA replication, and cell signaling.
Vitamin B5 deficiency mainly occurs in people on restrictive diets without pantothenic acid or in patients taking the metabolic antagonist of vitamin B5, omega-methyl pantothenic acid. In these cases, symptoms of pantothenic acid deficiency include irritability, fatigue, sleep disorders, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, numbness and hallucinations, muscle cramps, gait disorders, hypoglycemia, and increased insulin sensitivity.
Vitamin B5 supplements often contain pantothenol, a relatively stable alcoholic derivative of pantothenic acid, which is rapidly converted to pantothenic acid after ingestion, while some other supplements may contain the pantothenic calcium salt. Pantethine, a bilateral form of pantothenic acid used as a cholesterol-lowering agent, is converted to vitamin B5 in the body.
For vitamin B5 measurement, please see here: Vitamin B5 Biologically Active
