Thanks. It is very low. We are recommending initially oral 450mg TID. Many health writers and manufacturers make the same mistake by calling it a B5 derivative.
Pantethine is the disulfide bond of pantetheine. It will convert from pantethine and/or pantetheine via pantetheine hydrolase to cysteamine and pantothenic acid. Cysteamine then converts via cysteamine deoxygenase (ADO) to hypotaurine on one side of the cycle, whereas cysteine undergoes changes via two steps to hypotaurine on the other side.
Glutathione peroxidase, cysteamine and hypotaurine are the three major ROS scavengers in the human body and brain. These are the same class of proteins involved, however different expression depending on body system. This is where
Protein Atlas is very useful. For instance there are different Vanins, Panks, and GPX expressions that may be majority hepatic versus endrocrine or skeletal versus smooth muscle (ex.).
Disruption of the scavengers are associated with negative outcomes from cancer, viral infection as well as neurodegenerative disorders. Many times patients suffering from both a viral infection and a nuerodegerative disorder will have further worsening of their underlying disease. I thought MedCram did a good job explaining the double edge sword of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in his lecture. The process is necessary to fight off viral infection but will worsen some conditions if the ROS scavengers are missing.
I think that is one reason many in the anti-aging community have latched on to endogenous methods of increasing these metabolites.
Pantethine is one of those metabolites discovered by Novelli in 1953. This was after Fritz Lipmann's discovery of the "Coenzyme A Pathway" and consequent Nobel prize award. Tragically Novelli's discovery has been somewhat lost to history. Since the 50s the focus has been on a single pathway. I think the work of Domini and Stipanuk in 2007 was the first to break with this perspective and show the system as a cycle and not a pathway.
Medical research is that way and I'm certain
systems biology is going to sacrifice many sacred cows.
