Psoriasis breakthrough as common vitamin B5 supplement shows promise in new study

A widely available nutritional supplement could help ease the symptoms of psoriasis, a common skin condition with no known cure, according to promising new research.

Scientists found that pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, helped prevent the development of psoriasis in mice and showed encouraging results when added to existing treatment in a small trial involving human patients.

The findings raise hopes that the supplement could eventually offer another way to manage the inflammatory condition, which causes itchy, scaly patches of skin that commonly affect the knees, elbows, scalp and trunk.

Psoriasis can also cause pain, disrupt sleep and make it difficult to concentrate, with symptoms varying in severity between individuals.

Researchers in China discovered that pantethine appears to work by influencing specialised immune cells involved in triggering inflammation.

Their study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, identified a metabolic pathway that could help explain how psoriasis develops and potentially open the door to new treatments for the disease and other autoimmune conditions.

The team focused on dendritic cells, which help coordinate the immune system by activating T cells and releasing chemical signals that encourage inflammation.

When these cells become overactive, they are believed to contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis.

The scientists found that enzymes known as Vanins were present at elevated levels in dendritic cells from patients with psoriasis and several other autoimmune conditions.

These enzymes help break down pantethine into vitamin B5, which the body needs for cellular energy production.

However, increased Vanin activity was found to reduce pantethine levels, allowing cholesterol production to rise and encouraging dendritic cells to become overactive.

Restoring pantethine levels helped reverse this process, reducing cholesterol accumulation and suppressing the immune cells' activity.

Study co-lead author Dr Wei-Na Zhang, from the State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis in Beijing, said the research highlighted the importance of metabolic processes in regulating immune function.

Pantethine is already available as a nutritional supplement and is often used in attempts to lower blood cholesterol levels because of its effects on cholesterol synthesis.

In experiments involving mice, treatment with pantethine prevented psoriasis from developing and helped alleviate the condition.

The researchers then examined its potential benefits in a small-scale trial involving 24 people with psoriasis.

All participants received an ointment, while half were also given pantethine tablets.

After 12 weeks, those receiving the additional supplement experienced improvements in their symptoms, with particularly encouraging results among patients who initially had elevated cholesterol levels.

Dr Zhang described the findings as encouraging evidence of pantethine's potential as an additional treatment, while stressing that the trial was intended to demonstrate its feasibility rather than conclusively establish how it works in humans.

The researchers said further studies will be needed to confirm the results and establish whether pantethine could become a useful treatment option.

Although the findings offer a potential new avenue for psoriasis research, the small human trial means the supplement cannot yet be considered a proven treatment or a cure. People with psoriasis should speak to their healthcare professional before taking supplements alongside prescribed medication.