PANTOTHENIC ACID 



9. EFFECT OF PANTOTHENIC ACID DEFICIENCY IN MAN 



There is no evidence that uncomplicated pantothenic acid de- 

 ficiency has ever been observed in man, nor is there any record of 

 pantothenic acid deficiency having been produced artificially in man 

 as, for instance, by maintaining volunteers on a synthetic diet con- 

 taining sub-optimal amounts of this factor. It is therefore impossible 

 to describe any symptoms that can be attributed solely to a deficiency 

 of pantothenic acid, although some of the symptoms noted in various 

 forms of vitamin B complex deficiency may well have been due to 

 the presence of inadequate amounts of pantothenic acid in the diets 

 responsible. 



The reason for the apparent lack of interest in the effect of panto- 

 thenic acid deficiency in man is possibly due to the fact that the 

 symptoms noted in animals do not indicate that any particularly 

 important metabolic changes occur such as are associated with a 

 deficiency of aneurine or nicotinic acid, or even of riboflavine. Indeed, 

 the only symptom of deficient animals that has aroused interest among 

 clinical investigators is achromotrichia. The fact that administration 

 of pantothenic acid prevents grey hair in experimental animals main- 

 tained on a deficient diet suggested that the same result might be 

 produced by its administration to elderly humans, although there is 

 no evidence to suggest that the greying of human hair is associated 

 with a deficiency of this or any other vitamin. Not only were hopes 

 aroused, but claims were actually made that pantothenic acid was a 

 cure for this particular manifestation of senility, and certain pharma- 

 ceutical houses in the U.S.A. were not slow to exploit the idea. In 

 fact, the only clinical report that might be regarded as substantiating 

 such a claim is a very guarded statement by Brandalcone et al} that 

 " some restoration of colour " occurred in two out of forty-nine 

 elderly grey-haired patients when treated with 100 mg. of calcium 

 pantothenate, together with 100 mg. of _/)-aminobenzoic acid and 50 g. 

 of yeast daily for eight months. Even this modest response was not 

 observed in subsequent experiments by the same authors ^ and by 

 I. Kerlan and R. P. Herwick,^ and it is reasonably safe to conclude 

 that pantothenic acid does not cause grey hair to return to its 

 original colour in hmnan beings. 



References to Section 9 



1. H. Brandalcone, E. Main and J. M. Steele, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. 



Med., 1943, 53, 47. 



2. H. Brandalcone, E. Main and J. M. Steele, Amer. J. Med. Sci., 



1944, 208, 315. 



3. I. Kerlan and R. P. Herwick, /. Amer. Med. Assoc, 1943, 123, 391. 



Z7^ 



