2009 年 83 巻 3 号 p. 131-137
Pantothenic acid is very unstable under acid or alkaline conditions to be hydrolyzed to pantolactone and β-alanine. There is no information of the pantothenate deficiency which might be caused by hydrolysis with gastric acid. It may be possible that pantothenate is synthesized again from pantolactone and β-alanine by enterobacteria. Accordinngly when pantolactone and β-alanine was administered to pantothenate-deficient infant rats, the growth and pantotheate content in liver and urine were compared with normal rats. Consequently pantolactone and β-alanine has not supported the growth similar to pantothenate-deficiency.