A common nutritional supplement could help improve psoriasis symptoms when added to standard treatment, according to research that reveals a previously unknown metabolic pathway driving immune cell overactivation.
The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, found that pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, limits the activity of dendritic cells, specialised immune cells that play a central role in coordinating immune responses and promoting inflammation in autoimmune diseases.
Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Biomedical Analysis in Beijing discovered that levels of metabolic enzymes called Vanins are elevated in dendritic cells of patients with psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions. These enzymes convert pantethine into vitamin B5, and their increased activity reduces pantethine levels, leading to elevated cholesterol synthesis and dendritic cell hyperactivation.
In mouse studies, depleting Vanin enzymes inhibited dendritic cell activation and limited their ability to activate T cells. Treating mice with a Vanin inhibitor prevented the animals from developing psoriasis. Replenishing pantethine levels reversed the process by lowering cholesterol accumulation and suppressing dendritic cell activation.
The team then conducted a small trial involving 24 psoriasis patients. All participants received topical calcipotriene/betamethasone ointment, but half also received pantethine tablets. Over 12 weeks, patients given additional pantethine showed improved symptoms, particularly those with elevated blood cholesterol levels at baseline.
The researchers emphasise that these findings represent proof of concept rather than direct mechanistic validation. Pantethine is already widely available as a nutritional supplement commonly used to lower blood cholesterol.
The study identifies the Vanin-pantethine-cholesterol axis as a key metabolic pathway governing dendritic cell activation, potentially offering a foundation for therapeutic strategies targeting multiple dendritic cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Source: Cao et al. Vanin-pantethine metabolic axis shapes dendritic cell function and affects inflammatory disorder progression. Journal of Experimental Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1084/jem.20252558
