Abstract
The enzyme vanin-1 produces pantothenic acid (PA) and cysteamine, but the role of the vanin-1 /PA axis in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases remains less explored than the vanin-1 /cysteamine pathway. This study investigated the relationship between vanin-1 and PA with obesity, type-2 diabetes (T2D), and related cardiovascular complications (CVD). We found that patients with T2D, with or without CVD, had significantly lower plasma PA levels, which negatively correlated with glycemic markers and positively with HDL cholesterol. Individuals in the lowest PA tertile exhibited a markedly higher prevalence of T2D (76.6%). While vanin-1 levels did not significantly differ between groups, a trend towards higher levels in T2D was observed, and higher vanin-1 correlated with higher HbA1c, with the highest vanin-1 tertile showing a greater proportion of T2D (62.5%). Importantly, low PA levels were significantly associated with increased odds of T2D in patients with obesity (OR = 7.61) and increased odds of diabetes with CVD in both patients with and without obesity (OR = 12.03, OR = 7.24, respectively). In contrast, high vanin-1 was not associated with increased odds. Our findings suggest that low PA levels may serve as a potential biomarker for T2D and T2D with CVD. Future research should investigate the impact of vanin-1 modulation on PA levels and the therapeutic potential of PA supplementation in managing these conditions.