Abstract
Chronic inflammation is one of the most common and well-recognized risk factors for human cancer, including colon cancer. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is defined as a longstanding idiopathic chronic active inflammatory process in the colon, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Importantly, patients with IBD have a significantly increased risk for the development of colorectal carcinoma. Dietary inositol and its phosphates, as well as phospholipid derivatives, are well known to benefit human health in diverse pathologies including cancer prevention. Inositol phosphates including InsP3, InsP6, and other pyrophosphates, play important roles in cellular metabolic and signal transduction pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, RNA export, DNA repair, energy transduction, ATP regeneration, and numerous others. In the review, we highlight the biologic function and health effects of inositol and its phosphates including the nature and sources of these molecules, potential nutritional deficiencies, their biologic metabolism and function, and finally, their role in the prevention of colitis-induced carcinogenesis.
Highlights
There is considerable evidence identifying a beneficial role of dietary inositol and its phosphates and phospholipid derivatives in human health [1,2,3]
‘High energy’ is a key feature of PP-inositol phosphates (InsPs)/Inositol pyrophosphates (IPPs), which are a critical energy source of cells. Energy metabolism such as ATP production is closely regulated by these pyrophosphate molecules and these inositol pyrophosphastes may function as master regulators of cellular energy metabolism [14]
We have previously reported an inhibitory effect of inositol and InsP6 on colitis and colitis-induced carcinogenesis
Summary
There is considerable evidence identifying a beneficial role of dietary inositol and its phosphates and phospholipid derivatives in human health [1,2,3]. Almost all of the ingested myo-inositol and its phosphates (99.8%) are absorbed from the human gastrointestinal tract [1,5]. Compared to myo-inositol, approximately 79 ± 10% of its phosphate form, called inositol hexaphosphate (InsP6), is rapidly absorbed and distributed widely throughout the body [5]. 99.8% (almost all) of ingested myo-inositol is absorbed from the human gastrointestinal tract with circulating fasting plasma myo-inositol concentration found to be approximately 0.03 mM. Calcium magnesium InsP6 or “phytin,” the most common salt form of InsP6, is the major storage form of phosphorus and inositol in many plant tissues, in seeds such as nuts and grains, and especially in the bran, which provides major nutritional sources of inositol polyphosphates [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
