Monograph: |
Pantothenic Acid
Calcium Pantothenate
A white, odourless, slightly hygroscopic powder. Ph. Eur. sol-
ubilities are: freely soluble in water; slightly soluble in alco-
hol: practically insoluble in ether. The USP has: soluble I in
3 of water; soluble in glycerol: practically insoluble in alco-
hol, in chloroform, and in ether. A 5% solution has a pH of 6.8
to 8.0. The USP specifies that the physiological activity of
racemic calcium pantothenate is approximately one-half that
of calcium pantothenate. Store in airtight containers,
Adverse Effects
Pantothenic acid is reported to be generally non-toxic.
Pharmacokinetics
Pantothenic acid is readily absorbed from the gastro-intesti-
nal tract following oral administration. It is widely distributed
in the body tissues and appears in breast milk. About 70% of
pantothenic acid is excreted unchanged in the urine and about
30% in the faeces.
Human Requirements
Pantothenic acid is widely distributed in foods. Meat,
legumes, and whole grain cereals are particularly rich sourc-
es; other good sources include eggs, milk , vegetables, and
fruits.
In the United Kingdom neither a reference nutrient intake
(RNI) nor an estimated average requirement (EAR) has been
set for pantothenic acid although an intake of 3
to 7 mg daily for adults was believed to be adequate. Simi-
larly, in the United States a recommended dietary allowance
has not been published but an adequate intake for adults was
believed to be 5 mg daily, increased to 6 mg in pregnancy and
7 mg during lactation.
Uses and Administration
Pantothenic acid is traditionally considered to be a vitamin B
substance. It is a component of coenzyme A which is essen-
tial in the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat. and protein.
Deficiency of pantothenic acid is unlikely in man because of
its widespread distribution in food.
Pantothenic acid has no accepted therapeutic uses in human
medicine, though it has been administered by mouth as a nu-
tritional supplement, often as the calcium salt and usually in
conjunction with other vitamins of the B group.
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