Human biomarkers for measuring pantothenic acid intake and status
Pantothenic acid status can be assessed by different methods, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Assessment methods for pantothenic acid (1, 5)
| Biomarker | Analysis type | Sample | Benefits | Intricacies |
|---|
| WB B5 |
Direct analysis |
WB |
Status indicator |
Relationship of B5 status among the different matrices are mostly not existent |
|---|
| Plasma B5 |
Direct analysis |
Plasma, serum |
Does not reflect status |
Relationship of B5 status among the different matrices are mostly not existent |
|---|
| RBC B5 |
Direct analysis |
RBC |
Status indicator |
Relationship of B5 status among the different matrices are mostly not existent |
|---|
| Urinary B5 |
Direct analysis |
Urine |
Reflects recent intake |
Relationship of B5 status among the different matrices are mostly not existent |
|---|
Whole blood (WB), erythrocytes (red blood cells – RBC), plasma
Enzymatic hydrolysis of bound pantothenate in WB and RBC is required for measurement of total vitamin B5 (7). WB measurements are usually higher than pantothenic acid analysed in plasma due to the CoA stores in the red blood cells.
Urinary excretion
Urinary excretion is highly associated with dietary intake (1)and has been used as status indicator for pantothenic acid. However, measurements in other bodily tissue or fluids are not necessarily correlated to urinary pantothenic acid, even though associations between intake and WB/RBC has been reported.
Methods
- Radioimmunoassay applicable to various matrices, see method in references (7) and (8)
- Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for plasma samples, see method in references (9) and (10)
- Chromatographic methods for various matrices, see method in references (11) and (12)
7. Wittwer et al. AJCN 1989;50:1072-8.
8. Wyse et al. Clin Chem 1979;25:108-10. (link not available)
9. Song et al. Nutr Res 1990;10:439-48.
10. Gonthier et al. J Immunoassay Immunochem 1998;19:167-94.
11. Meisser Redeuil et al. J Chromatogr A 2015.
12. Takahashi et al. J Chromatogr B 2009;877:2168-72.
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E.g. Vitamin B5, serum
Technical assistance
For questions on pantothenic acid methods or for technical assistance, please sophie.moore@kcl.ac.uk or write to:
Dr Daniela Hampel, PhD
Project Scientist
USDA/ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Department of Nutrition, University of California Davis
Email: dhampel@ucdavis.edu or daniela.hampel@ars.usda.gov