The key difference between D chiro inositol and myo inositol is that D chiro inositol is less common compared to myo inositol.
Inositol is a medicine that is important in relieving diabetic nerve pain, panic disorder, high cholesterol, insomnia, cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, etc. Generally, it is considered a safe medication, but there can be mild side effects such as nausea, stomach pain, tiredness, headache, dizziness, etc. There are about nine distinct stereoisomers of inositol, myo inositol being the most common isomer. D chiro inositol forms from myo inositol via an epimerization process. Both myo inositol and D chiro inositol are important in insulin signal transduction. Both these forms can serve as second messengers, having different but equally necessary and complementary roles.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is D Chiro Inositol
3. What is Myo Inositol
4. Side by Side Comparison – D Chiro Inositol vs Myo Inositol in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is D Chiro Inositol
D chiro inositol is an isoform of myo inositol. This isoform forms from an epimerization reaction of myo inositol. This epimerization process is an insulin-dependent process. This compound has the same exact molecular weight as myo inositol. This compound, specifically, can activate an enzyme called pyruvate dehydrogenase, that is important in energy metabolism. This enzyme activation is an important step in proper glucose disposal.
D chiro inositol is not abundant in food so, we need to take it from outside. However, myo insositol is abundant in food, and D chiro inositol can form from myo inositol through epimerization inside our body. However, not all humans can perform this epimerization equally; there are some people who cannot completely convert myo inositol into D chiro inositol. Therefore, they need to get supplementation. Some people are able to do this conversion but with less efficiency; thus, they can benefit from large doses of myo inositol.
What is Myo Inositol
Myo inositol is the most common stereoisomer of inositol. There are about nine stereoisomers of inositol, myo inositol being the most common and representative isomer. Unlike its chiral epimer D chiro inositol, myo inositol is abundant in many food items. Therefore, our body must take D chiro inositol, but myo inositol naturally comes from the food we consume. Moreover, D chiro inositol forms from Myo inositol through an epimerization process inside our body.
What is the Difference Between D Chiro Inositol and Myo Inositol?
Inositol is a medicine that is used to treat a number of diseases. There are different stereoisomers of inositol. Myo inositol is one such isomer that is common than the other isomeric forms. D chiro inositol is a derivative of myo inositol. Therefore, myo inositol and D chiro inositol are chiral epimers of each other. The key difference between D chiro inositol and myo inositol is that D chiro inositol is less common compared to myo inositol. Moreover, D chiro inosito is not abundant in food while myo inositol is abundant in many food items we consume.
The following table summarizes the difference between D chiro inositol and myo inositol.
Summary – D Chiro Inositol vs Myo Inositol
Inositol is a medicine that is used to treat a number of diseases. There are different stereoisomers of inositol. Myo inositol is one such isomer that is common than the other isomeric forms. D chiro inositol is a derivative of myo inositol. The key difference between D chiro inositol and myo inositol is that D chiro inositol is less common compared to myo inositol.
Reference:
1. S, Sally. Myo-Inositol versus D-Chiro-Inositol. 23 Mar. 2020, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Chiro-inositol” By Kupirijo at English Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia