Brief Communication: Dexpanthenol and Its Ophthalmic Uses Sparshi Jain 1* , Sweta Singh 2 and Anjali Nagar 3 1 Department of Ophthalmology, Indra Gandhi Employee's State Insurance Corporation, India 2 Chandigarh Laser Eye Center, India 3 IGESI Hospital, Jhilmil, New Delhi, India * Corresponding author: Sparshi Jain, Department of Ophthalmology, Indira Gandhi Employee's State Insurance Corporation, Jhilmil, Delhi 110032, India, Tel: 919899867167; E-Mail: dr.sparshi@gmail.com Received date: July 06, 2017; Accepted date: August 24, 2017; Published date: August 28, 2017 Copyright: ©2017 Jain S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction Dexpanthenol is an alcoholic analog of pantothenic acid which was discovered by Roger J. Williams in 1933 [1]. Pantothenic acid, also called pantothenate or vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin [2]. It is yellow, viscous, hygroscopic oil which is stable in neutral solutions but decomposes rapidly in acid or alkaline solution [2]. Terefore, it is sold as calcium and sodium salts. Animals require pantothenic acid to synthesize coenzyme-A, as well as to synthesize and metabolize proteins, carbohydrates, and fats [3]. It is essential to almost all forms of life. Source Te name pantothenic acid is derived from the Greek word pantothen, which means “from everywhere” and small amount of it is present in almost every food (legumes, whole grain cereals, eggs, meat, avocado and curd) [4]. Te most signifcant sources of pantothenic acid in nature are cold water fsh ovaries and royal jelly [5]. Mechanism of action Dexpanthenol was discovered almost 70 years ago but still its exact mechanism of action has not been made clear. It has hygroscopic properties and ability to retain moisture. Te hydrating efect seems to be interrelated with its capacity to regenerate the epidermal barrier by enhancing epidermal diferentiation and lipid synthesis [6]. In a study on excised porcine skin, dexpanthenol has been shown to interact with lipid segments of the extracellular lamellae and protein residues in the corneocytes of stratum cornea resulting in an increased mobility of molecular components. Tus it generates properties of a hydrated skin in dehydrated conditions by increasing molecular fuidity [7]. Various studies have shown that dexpanthenol contributes to wound healing by aiding collagen synthesis, proliferation, migration and attachment of fbroblasts [8,9]. However, molecular mechanism of dexpanthenol was not known until 2009, when Wiederholt et al. investigated in vitro molecular mechanisms of pantothenate on the proliferation of dermal fbroblasts. Gene expression was analyzed using microarray analysis in human dermal fbroblasts cultivated with 20 microgram/ml of pantothenate [10]. As compared to untreated cells, treated fbroblasts showed a signifcant upregulation of IL-6, IL-8, Id1, HMOX-1, HspB7 and CYP1B1 expression. As IL-6 and IL-8 are among the cytokines most strongly expressed during wound healing [11,12], the upregulation of IL-6 and IL-8 expression in dermal fbroblasts further supports the fact that dexpanthenol containing topical ointments contribute to the wound healing. Pantothenic acid, pantothenol and its derivatives being precursors of CoA, protect cells and organs against peroxidative damage by increasing the content of cell glutathione. By increasing the synthesis of coenzyme A, mitochondrial coenzyme A is also increased which leads to more ATP synthesis. ATP and coenzyme A are indispensable for synthesis of phospholipids and cholesterol, which again have a role in repair of cell membranes [13]. Toxicity No toxic efects afer oral or parenteral use have been observed so far with pantothenic acid or any of its salts [14]. Uses Pantothenic acid and Dexpanthenol can both be used topically, orally and parenterally. Tese drugs have a huge role in burns caused by heat radiation or chemical injury. Tey augment the healing of skin and mucus membrane lesion of almost any origin. It has been seen that cell cultures with a higher concentration of calcium D-pantothenate had increased migration of cells with a more directional arrangement in several layers, whereas the cell cultures without pantothenic acid healed in a haphazard manner with fewer layers [9]. Dexpanthenol, because of its soothing, anti-infammatory, moisturizing properties and hygroscopic nature is used in lots of cosmetic products as emulsions, sunscreens, mouthwashes, shampoos and dental rinses [12,15]. Dexpanthenol ointment has shown promising result in healing of foot ulcers in diabetic patients. A study done by Abdelatif et al. indicated that royal jelly and panthenol ointment can help cure the ulceration [16]. Pantothenic acid derivatives have also been used to improve lipid profle. In a mouse model by Naruta et al. panthothenic acid derivatives were able to eectively lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), as well as triglyceride (TG) levels; panthenol was able to lower total cholesterol, and pantethine was able to lower LDL-cholesterol in the serum [3]. Te decrease in LDL is signifcant, as it is related to a decrease the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke [17]. Role of dexpanthenol in ophthalmology Dexpanthenol plays an important role in healing of the conjunctival and corneal epithelial damage. Due to its hygroscopic nature, it prevents epithelial dryness and maintains the ocular surface integrity. Ocular surface protecting and healing properties of dexpanthenol have been proven in a study by Raczynska et al. using 5% provitamin B5 J o u r n a l o f C l i n i c a l & E x p e r i m e n t a l O p h t h a l m o l o g y ISSN: 2155-9570 Journal of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology Jain et al., J Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2017, 8:5 DOI: 10.4172/2155-9570.1000678 Short Communication Open Access J Clin Exp Ophthalmol, an open access journal ISSN:2155-9570 Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000678