Myo-Inositol and Its Derivatives: Their Emerging Role in the Treatment of Human Diseases

<i>Myo</i>-inositol has been established as an important growth-promoting factor of mammalian cells and animals. The role of <i>myo</i>-inositol as a lipotropic factor has been proven, in addition to its involvement as co-factors of enzymes and as messenger molecules in signal transduction. <i>Myo</i>-inositol deficiency leads to intestinal lipodystrophy in animals and "inositol-less death" in some fungi. Of late, diverse uses of <i>myo</i>-inositol and its derivatives have been discovered in medicinal research. These compounds are used in the treatment of a variety of ailments from diabetes to cancer, and continued research in this direction promises a new future in therapeutics. In different diseases, inositols implement different strategies for therapeutic actions such as tissue specific increase or decrease in inositol products, production of inositol phosphoglycans (IPGs), conversion of <i>myo</i>-inositol (MI) to D-<i>chiro</i>-inositol (DCI), modulation of signal transduction, regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, etc. Though inositol pharmacology is a relatively lesser-known field, recent years of research has generated a critical mass of information on the subject. This review aims to summarize our current understanding on the role of inositol derivatives in ameliorating the symptoms of different diseases.