Determination of urinary myo-/chiro-inositol ratios from Korean diabetes patients

Of two major forms (myo- and chiro-inositol) of inositols, only chiro-inositol enhances the activity of proteins involved in intracellular glucose metabolism. This study aims to determine the urinary myo-/chiro-inositol ratio in type I and type, 2 diabetes patients and compare its ratio with the normal control group. The 24-hour urinary myo- and chiro-inositols in 71 Korean diabetes patients and 39 control subjects have been quantified using high,performance liquid chromatography, and their ratios have been evaluated as indices of insulin resistance. The level of 24-hour urinary myo-inositol was significantly higher in both type I and type 2 diabetes than with the control group, whereas the urinary chiro-inositol in type I or type 2 diabetes was lower than that in normal subjects. The myo-/chiro-inositol ratio in diabetes patients was higher than that in the control group. Twenty four-hour urinary myo-/ chiro-inositol ratios were significantly elevated in type I and type 2 diabetes patients compared to the control group, suggesting that a high ratio of urinary myo-/chiro- inositol in type 2 diabetes patients might be used for an index of insulin resistance.