The key difference between inositol and myo inositol is that the inositol is a sugar that is abundant in the brain and mammalian tissues, whereas the myo inositol is one of the nine stereoisomers of inositol.
Inositol is a carbocyclic sugar compound present in the brain and tissues of mammalians. It is a carbocyclic compound containing nine stereoisomers. Myo inositol isomer is the most stable and abundant among them. However, we use the terms inositol and myo inositol interchangeably because myo inositol is the isomer that has more importance.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Inositol
3. What is Myo Inositol
4. Side by Side Comparison – Inositol vs Myo Inositol in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Inositol?
Inositol is a carbocyclic sugar that is abundant in the brain and mammalian tissues. It is very important because it mediates the signal transduction as a response to a wide range of hormones. Other than that, it also mediates the signal transduction as a response for neurotransmitters and growth factors. Since it is a sugar, it has sweetness.
Naturally, this compound forms in humans. Glucose is the starting material for this production. Furthermore, this production mainly takes place in kidneys, but other tissues also can synthesize inositol.
Figure 1: Myo inositol
In addition to the above, the chemical formula of inositol is C6H12O6 while the molar mass is 180.16 g/mol. Also, this compound shows stereoisomerism. There are nine isomers of this compound. But, the most important isomer is Myo inositol isomer because it is the form of inositol present in the brain. The other isomers include scyllo-, muco-, chiro-, neo-, allo-, epi- and cis-. More importantly, the myo inositol isomer is the most stable conformation among them.
What is Myo Inositol?
Myo inositol is the most stable and important stereoisomer of the sugar inositol. It is the form of inositol present in the brain. It has a chair conformation. In the structure, a maximum number of hydroxyl groups are in the equatorial position. Then, they are at the farthest positions of the molecule, which makes this isomer highly stable.
Figure 02: Myo Structure
Moreover, there are six hydroxyl groups, and five of them are in an equatorial position. The remaining hydroxyl group is in axial position. Furthermore, myo inositol is a meso compound, and it is optically inactive.
What is the Difference Between Inositol and Myo Inositol?
Inositol and myo inositol are carbocyclic compounds. The key difference between inositol and myo inositol is that the inositol is a sugar that is abundant in the brain and mammalian tissues, whereas the myo inositol is one of the nine stereoisomers of inositol. Furthermore, when considering the structure, there are nine different isomeric structures of inositol, whereas the myo inositol is the stable isomer that has chair conformation.
Summary – Inositol vs Myo Inositol
Inositol is a carbocyclic compound. It has nine stereoisomers, and myo inositol isomer is the most stable and abundant among them. Moreover, it is the form of inositol that is present in the human brain. Therefore, the key difference between inositol and myo inositol is that inositol is a sugar that is abundant in the brain and mammalian tissues, whereas myo inositol is one of the nine stereoisomers of inositol.
Reference:
1. “Inositol: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning.” WebMD, WebMD, Available here.
2. “Inositol.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Sept. 2019, Available here.
3. Sosenko, Ilene R.s., and Eduardo Bancalari. “New Developments in the Presentation, Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Prevention of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.” The Newborn Lung, 2008, pp. 187–207., doi:10.1016/b978-141603166-6.10009-9.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Myo-inositol” By Kupirijo at English Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Myo-inositol numbering” Deur Yikrazuul – Eie werk (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia