B-Vitamin Supplement Can Treat Psoriasis, a Skin Condition with No Cure.
Researchers in Beijing report that pantethine, a vitamin B5 derivative, prevented psoriasis in mice and eased symptoms in a small trial of 24 patients when added to standard ointment.
Researchers in China report that pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, limits the activity of immune cells that contribute to autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. The study was set to be published October 27 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. It found that pantethine prevented psoriasis from developing in mice and helped relieve symptoms in people in a small human trial.
The work centers on dendritic cells, which coordinate the immune system by presenting antigens to T cells and releasing signaling molecules that recruit other immune cells and promote inflammation. Overactivation of these cells is thought to underlie several autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis.
The team, co-led by Wei-Na Zhang at the State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis in Beijing, found that levels of metabolic enzymes called Vanins were elevated in the dendritic cells of patients with psoriasis and several other autoimmune diseases. Depleting the enzymes reduced dendritic cell activation and their ability to activate T cells, and a drug that inhibits Vanins protected mice from psoriasis.
Vanins convert pantethine into vitamin B5. Pantethine is a widely available supplement often used to lower blood cholesterol. According to the researchers, higher Vanin activity lowers pantethine levels, which increases cholesterol synthesis and dendritic cell hyperactivation. Replenishing pantethine reversed that process in their experiments.
The clinical trial involved 24 people with psoriasis. All received a topical calcipotriene/betamethasone ointment, and half also took pantethine tablets. Over 12 weeks, those who received pantethine showed improved symptoms, especially patients whose blood cholesterol was elevated at the start.
Zhang cautioned that the results should be read as proof-of-concept for clinical feasibility rather than direct validation of the mechanism. The researchers describe the trial as showing encouraging efficacy for pantethine as an add-on therapy.
Note: The headline says the supplement can treat psoriasis. The page describes a small 24-patient trial in which pantethine was added to standard ointment, and a lead researcher calls the findings proof-of-concept, so the brief frames it as an early add-on result.
At a Glance
- The study was scheduled for publication October 27, 2026, in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
- The human trial enrolled 24 psoriasis patients, and half received pantethine tablets alongside topical ointment.
- Patients were followed for 12 weeks, and those taking pantethine improved most if their blood cholesterol was high at the start.
- Pantethine prevented psoriasis from developing in mice, and Vanin enzymes were elevated in patients' dendritic cells.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.