Holub B J
Adv Nutr Res. 1982;4:107-41. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4613-9934-6_5.
Recent advances in nutritional and biochemical research have substantiated the importance of inositol as a dietary and cellular constituent. The processes involved in the metabolism of inositol and its derivatives in mammalian tissues have been characterized both in vivo and at the enzyme level. Biochemical functions elucidated for phosphatidylinositol in biological membranes include the mediation of cellular responses to external stimuli, nerve transmission, and the regulation of enzyme activity through specific interactions with various proteins. Inositol deficiency in animals has been shown to produce an accumulation of triglyceride in liver, intestinal lipodystrophy, and other abnormalities. The metabolic mechanisms giving rise to these latter phenomena have been extensively studied as a function of dietary inositol. Altered metabolism of inositol has been documented in patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, galactosemia, and multiple sclerosis. A moderate increase in plasma and nerve inositol levels by dietary supplementation has been suggested as a means of treating diabetic neuropathy, although excessively high levels, such as are found in uremic patients, may be neurotoxic. A thorough consideration of the biochemical functions of inositol and a further characterization of various diseases with the aid of appropriate animal models may suggest a possible role for inositol and other dietary components in their prevention and treatment
营养与生物化学研究的最新进展证实了肌醇作为饮食和细胞成分的重要性。在哺乳动物组织中，肌醇及其衍生物的代谢过程已在体内和酶水平上得到了表征。生物膜中磷脂酰肌醇的生化功能包括介导细胞对外部刺激的反应、神经传递以及通过与各种蛋白质的特定相互作用来调节酶活性。动物实验表明，肌醇缺乏会导致肝脏中甘油三酯的积累、肠道脂肪营养不良以及其他异常情况。作为饮食中肌醇的一种功能，引发这些现象的代谢机制已得到广泛研究。在糖尿病、慢性肾衰竭、半乳糖血症和多发性硬化症患者中，已记录到肌醇代谢的改变。有人提出通过饮食补充适度提高血浆和神经中的肌醇水平作为治疗糖尿病性神经病变的一种方法，尽管像尿毒症患者中发现的过高水平可能具有神经毒性。对肌醇的生化功能进行全面考虑，并借助适当的动物模型对各种疾病进行进一步表征，可能会揭示肌醇和其他饮食成分在其预防和治疗中的潜在作用。
