Abstract

(R)-Pantothenic acid is a water soluble B-complex vitamin. Pantothenic acid is an essential vitamin needed to synthesize coenzyme A and the acyl carrier protein (ACP) portion of fatty acid synthetase. Both animals and microbes convert pantothenic acid into metabolically active coenzyme A by a number of enzymatic reactions. The pathway for this enzyme conversion has been elucidated and has been reviewed extensively. Only (R)-pantothenic acid is biologically active. Although well-defined pantothenic acid deficiency in humans has not been reported, deprivation of pantothenic acid results in metabolic impairments, including reduced lipid synthesis and energy production. (R)-Pantothenic acid is extremely hygroscopic. Consequently, the major commercial form of pantothenic acid is calcium-(R)-pantothenate. The key step in the present commercial chemical synthesis of (R)-pantothenic acid involves resolution of racemic pantolactone. Recent industrial synthetic efforts have been directed towards developing a method for enantioselective synthesis of (R)-pantolactone either by chemical or microbial reduction of ketopantolactone. To date, the microbial reduction of ketopantolactone is a promising approach, but commercialization of this process has yet to be realized. Calcium-(R)-pantothenate is used in food and feed enrichment. Panthenol and pantyl ether are industrially important derivatives of pantothenic acid and are used in hair care products.