Inositol

Chemical Formula	C6H12O6
Molecular Weight	180.156 g/mol
Names and Identifiers	PubChem Link
Traditional Name	Inositol, Myo-inositol
CAS Registry Number	87-89-8

 

Myo-inositol, or simply inositol, is a carbocyclic sugar that is abundant in brain and other mammalian tissues, mediates cell signal transduction in response to a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors and participates in osmoregulation. It is a sugar alcohol with half the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar). It is made naturally in human beings from glucose. Each kidney makes 2g a day; so 4g a day total is made. Other tissues synthesize it too, and the highest concentration is in the brain where it plays an important role making other neurotransmitters, and some steroid hormones bind to their receptors.

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