Calcium pantothenate 550mg capsules

Pantothenic acid (PA; vitamin B5) is an essential component of many key metabolic processes. Vitamin B5 deficiency causes dysfunction in various systems and organs. Humans do not produce vitamin B5, so it must be constantly replenished through diet or supplementation. Pantothenic acid is synthesized by plants, fungi, and bacteria, so a well-balanced diet is a good source of pantothenic acid. Pantothenates have beneficial effects on the skin (regenerative, healing, and anti-inflammatory effects). They are readily absorbed through the skin, making them a common active ingredient in cosmetics and medications with soothing, healing, regenerative, moisturizing, and protective properties for damaged, sensitive, or atopic skin, including topical products labeled hypoallergenic or specifically intended for people with sensitive skin. Although PA is considered non-allergenic and safe, paradoxically, frequent exposure, especially to damaged skin, appears to lead to hypersensitivity to this substance. The pathogenetic mechanisms of pantothenate hypersensitivity have not been clearly defined. The main sensitization pathway is likely a delayed cellular mechanism (type IV, contact). However, other types of hypersensitivity, including immediate (type I) and mixed mechanisms, cannot be ruled out. PA allergy is considered rare and therefore difficult to diagnose. This is due to the unexpected sensitizing factor and the lack of standard diagnostic tests. Due to the likely contact nature of the allergy, patch testing (PT) with a cosmetic (drug) provided by the patient ("as is") and PA (5% in petrolatum; 5% PET) appears to be the best approach. It is also suggested that PA (5% PET>) be included in the standard series of allergens (haptens) used in routine PT diagnostics. It appears that PA allergy is more common than currently believed, particularly in people with atopic skin and polysensitized individuals, who are the primary users of products containing pantothenate. It is possible that in these individuals, pantothenic acid may be more harmful than beneficial.

Abstract licence: CC BY

Recombinant adeno associated virus (rAAV) vectors have become popular delivery vehicles for in vivo gene therapies, but demand for rAAVs continues to outpace supply. Platform processes for rAAV production are being developed by many manufacturers, and transient chemical transfection of human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells is currently the most popular approach. However, the cutting edge nature of rAAV process development encourages manufacturers to keep cell culture media formulations, plasmid sequences, and other details proprietary, which creates hurdles for small companies and academic labs seeking to innovate in this space. To address this problem, we leveraged the resources of an academic-industry consortium (Advanced Mammalian Biomanufacturing Innovation Center, AMBIC) to develop an rAAV production system based on transient transfection of suspension HEK293 cells adapted to an in-house, chemically defined medium. We found that balancing iron and calcium levels in the medium were crucial for maintaining transfection efficiency and minimizing cell aggregation, respectively. A design of experiments approach was used to optimize the transient transfection process for batch rAAV production, and PEI:DNA ratio and cell density at transfection were the parameters with the strongest effects on vector genome (VG) titer. When the optimized transient process was transferred between two university sites, VG titers were within a twofold range. Analytical characterization showed that purified rAAV from the AMBIC process had comparable viral protein molecular weights versus vector derived from commercial processes, but differences in transducing unit (TU) titer were observed between vector preps. The developed media formulation, transient transfection process, and analytics for VG titer, capsid identity, and TU titer constitute a set of workflows that can be adopted by others to study fundamental problems that could improve product yield and quality in the nascent field of rAAV manufacturing.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC