D-panthenol: a drug for good

Meet dexpanthenol. Dexpanthenol gets already the fifth breath in medicine. It is important for us that it significantly stimulates the regeneration processes in the damaged mucous membranes and skin, plus it does a lot more of what is useful. This effect is obtained due to the universality of those biochemical processes that it affects.

Now I will tell why cosmetologists love it so much.

Little about chirality

The prefix dex in the name of dexpanthenol appeared for a reason. It comes from the Latin word dexter - right. The fact is that this substance, like many others, has its own optical isomers. Two such isomers are chiral with respect to each other.

Chirality is a property of isomer molecules, due to which it is impossible to combine them in space by any rotation without a mirror image. Therefore, among the optical isomers, left- and right-rotating variants are distinguished because of their ability to rotate the plane of polarization of light transmitted through the solution. Often for their designation in the name used Latin D or L. Therefore, D-panthenol also sounds quite correct.

Useless in itself

In fact, dexpanthenol in its original form is a rather useless substance. Like many other drugs, it is only a precursor of its active metabolite. When applied to the skin, it quickly passes through the lipid barrier and immediately turns into pantothenic acid. Pantothenic acid is one of the most important water-soluble vitamins, vitamin B5. But, interestingly, it also does not work by itself.



In fact, the main purpose of the whole biochemical chain is the synthesis of coenzyme A. Our pantothenic acid is included in it as pantethine in fragments 3 and 4. And this is where all the basic magic begins: coenzyme A participates in almost all the main biochemical processes in the body, playing the role of intermediate linking and transferring acid residues to other substances.



Every cell in our body has its own biological energy systems - mitochondria. They are responsible for the synthesis of high-energy molecules such as ATP. This is a kind of equivalent of electricity in the cell. If in the macrocosm the electric current rotates the motors, makes the microcontrollers work, then in the cell, thanks to ATP, protein pumps work, pumping ions against the concentration gradient, work without rest of the protein synthesis factory - ribosomes. Without macroergs, the functioning of the body is simply impossible. In order to synthesize ATP, requires a considerable amount of energy. One of the most important ways is the aerobic pathway for the oxidation of glucose, as a result of which the pyruvate molecule starts the Krebs cycle, which is also known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle.



This process is impossible without coenzyme A. CoA works as a transport, transferring fragments of molecules from one part of the reaction to another. That is why pantothenic acid and its derivatives are so important. It is a key element in the energy infrastructure of every cell in our body. By the way, such quite common substances as citric and succinic acids are included in this cycle. With their combination, they get a fairly effective drug that reduces the painful symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

In principle, vitamin B5 in the form of calcium pantothenate will also be useful there. With a hangover, the normal flow of the Krebs cycle is disrupted and the entire energy system of the body begins to suffer.

Accordingly, with the use of drugs that contribute to the normal course of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, we can bring the body back to normal much faster.

Dexpanthenol, regeneration and burns

It is the participation of pantothenic acid in the form of CoA in the energy metabolism that determines such a powerful effect of dexpanthenol. In the damaged areas of the skin or mucous membrane, a number of pathological processes take place, which are largely reduced to energy starvation. Dexpanthenol partially compensates for these problems in the lesion and accelerates regeneration, while reducing inflammation.

By the way, there is another very important point. Burns They are always wrongly treated. A burn, like other injury options, has three main stages: alteration (damage), exudation, and repair. I often saw people get a burn and immediately start spraying foam with dexpanthenol on the burned skin.

It is completely useless.

At the first stage, those pathological processes with which this foam should fight are just beginning to develop. It is much more important to immediately cool the damaged area for 5–10 minutes. Thus, you narrow blood vessels, reduce swelling and pain, well, in general, reduce the severity of the injury. But already at the reparation stage, when the skin begins to recover, dexpanthenol will be more than appropriate. At this stage, it can significantly speed up the healing process. He also saves from sunburn.

In addition, if the tool is applied in the form of foam, it does not allow the initial heat to go outside, forming an insulation layer - and drives the burn deeper. Proper application - gel or liquid, but not a cellular structure.

We usually carry with us something from the regenerating group in our purses. But this is a habit from beta testing of the Intensive Regeneration product , and among the tools developed by the laboratory is a moisturizer with a very successful combination of D-panthenol and additional UV protection. Pay attention to the cream dispenser: here there is a story about why it is important to do so in cosmetics. Always with us we have Blefarogel-1 - a means for preventing CVD, which is described in more detail here .