Basic nutritional investigationPantothenic acid refeeding diminishes the liver, perinephrical fats, and plasma fats accumulated by pantothenic acid deficiency and/or ethanol consumption

ObjectivePantothenic acid (PaA) is a vitamin that is an integral part of coenzyme A (CoA). CoA is an essential coenzyme in fat metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether PaA deficiency causes the accumulation of tissue fats and, if so, can refeeding of PaA decrease such accumulated fat.MethodsWeaning rats were fed the PaA-free diet for 30 d. Rats were then divided into two groups. One group was continuously fed the PaA-free diet, and the other was fed the PaA-containing diet for an additional 13 d. At the end of the experiment, liver fat and perinephric fat were weighed, and plasma triglyceride levels measured. An additional similar experiment was conducted in which rats consumed 15% ethanol instead of water.ResultsFat that accumulated by consuming the PaA-free diet for 30 d was decreased by consuming the PaA-containing diet for an additional 13 d. Ethanol feeding elicited much greater accumulation of liver, perinephric, and plasma fats if rats were fed the PaA-free diet. In such cases, administration of PaA could decrease the accumulated fat.ConclusionPaA deficiency causes fat accumulation, and readministration of PaA decreases the tissue fat in rats fed the pantothenic acid-free diet. Ethanol accelerated the accumulation of fat in rats fed the PaA-free diet. PaA could be beneficial for decreasing accumulated tissue fat.