Myoinositol: a new marker of intrauterine growth restriction?
Inositol is a cyclic sugar alcohol which occurs naturally in a variety of stereoisomers, the most common of which is myo-inositol. Inositol phosphoglycan molecules have been isolated from mammalian tissues and are a major component of the intracellular mediators of insulin action. The fetus with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) activates a series of adaptive mechanisms to increase the chances for survival, such as a saving of glucose to ensure nutrition of the vital organs, with a consequent reduction in insulin secretion. It can be hypothesized that the reduced production of fetal insulin leads to an excretion of inositol from the intracellular to the extracellular compartment, with a consequent increase of the metabolite in plasma and urine and a decrease inside the cells. Recently, reports suggesting that the increase in extracellular myo-inositol may be a valid marker of an altered glucose metabolism during fetal development in IUGR have been published.
Department of Surgery Science, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section, University of Cagliari , Italy.
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D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy
D015415:Biomarkers; D007294:Inositol