Accumulation of myoinositol in plasma and red cells of diabetic patients.

The concentration of myoinositol in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and red cells and its elimination by the kidneys have been studied in 51 diabetic patients with normal or impaired kidney function, 16 non-diabetic patients with renal failure and 37 healthy controls. All diabetic patients who had a glomerular filtration rate considerably below normal, was the plasma concentration of myoinositol higher than in controls. The findings show that the rise in plasma concentration of myoinositol most probably results from a decreased glomerular filtration rate. In diabetic patients, urinary excretion of myoinositol correlated with an exponential increase in glucose excretion. That myoinositol accumulates in red cells of diabetic patients may be the result of its retention within these cells caused primarily by a transient, abnormal increase in the plasma concentration of myoinositol after an average meal.