The inositol is known as vitamin B8, a natural isomer of glucose. It is an important key intermediate element of second messengers, as well as a dominant component of the phospholipids of cell membranes involved in many biological processes. Its unique chemical structure allows it to "enter" and "exit" cells, playing its catalytic role. Its role is important in how neurotransmitters work in the brain and body, including the reversal of serotonin desensitization, thus regulating serotonin activity. It is also important for signaling pathways for calcium and insulin. It is also a component of the biological information exchange system. Inositol contributes to the processing of information within the cell, e.g., of biological information contained in hormones. Second messengers are molecules inside cells that act to transmit signals from a receptor to a target. The term, second messengers, was coined from the discovery of these substances, aiming to distinguish them from hormones and other molecules that function outside the cell as "first messengers" in the transmission of biological information.
A large number of molecules have been characterized as second messengers, including molecules derived from phospholipids (inositol triphosphate).
A general mechanism - system - of second messengers can be divided into four stages. First, the agonist activates a membrane-bound receptor. Second, the activated G protein produces a key effector. Third, the main effect stimulates the synthesis of the second messenger. Fourth, the second messenger activates a specific cellular process.
G-protein coupled receptors for the PIP2 (phosphatidylinositol diphosphate) messenger system produce two effectors, phospholipase C (PLC) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). PLC as an effector produces two different second messengers, inositol triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG).
The (inositol triphosphate) IP3 is soluble and diffuses freely in the cytoplasm. As a second messenger, it is recognized by the inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R), a Ca2+ channel in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane (ER), which stores intracellular Ca2+. The binding of (inositol triphosphate) IP3 to its receptor releases
Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum into the normally Ca2+-poor cytoplasm, which then activates the signaling of various Ca2+ events. Specifically in blood vessels, the increase in Ca2+ concentration from (inositol triphosphate) IP3 releases nitric oxide, which then diffuses into smooth muscle tissue and causes relaxation.
In 1984, with a paper published in Nature, inositol triphosphate was officially classified as a second messenger in cellular signal transduction.
By 2010, the volume of literature exceeded 20,000 publications in many scientific journals. Its role starts from biology, is involved in medicine (in specialties such as neurology, endocrinology, and pathology), and is realized in pharmacology. While the role of inositol in the nervous system is proven to be decisive.
The inositol formula, thanks to its composition, contributes to the normal function of the nervous system.
