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A common vitamin B5 derivative called pantethine may be a new weapon against psoriasis. Scientists discovered it calms overactive immune cells by disrupting an unexpected cholesterol-immune connection. In a small 24-person trial, patients taking pantethine alongside standard treatment saw greater symptom improvement — especially those with high cholesterol.
A widely available nutritional supplement — pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5 — could offer a new approach to treating psoriasis, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Scientists found that pantethine quiets overactive dendritic cells, the immune system's "coordinators" that can trigger runaway inflammation when they go into overdrive, as seen in psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases.
The key discovery? A surprising link between cholesterol and immune activation. Elevated levels of enzymes called Vanins in psoriasis patients reduce pantethine inside dendritic cells, which in turn ramps up cholesterol production — and that extra cholesterol supercharges immune activity. Restoring pantethine levels broke this cycle, reducing inflammation in both lab models and mice.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Psoriasis affects millions worldwide and current treatments don't work for everyone. Pantethine is already sold over the counter and has a known safety profile, making it an accessible potential add-on therapy — particularly for patients whose cholesterol metabolism may be fueling their inflammation. Researchers caution these results are proof-of-concept, but the findings open a door to targeting the Vanin-pantethine-cholesterol axis across multiple autoimmune diseases.
