A Study of the Biological Specificity of Inositol

Since it has been shown (1, 2) that inositol will cure alopecia in mice which have been fed a diet devoid of this factor, a study of the antialopecia action of related compounds seemed advisable. Such a study of specificity was of special interest in the case of inositol, because this substance presents a unique case among water-soluble vitamins. While close chemical relatives of the other vitamin B factors have not been found in nature, it is known that several isomers, and derivatives of inositol, occur in natural products. Inositol acts not only as a vitamin for the mouse, but Eastcott (3) has shown that it is a growth factor for certain strains of yeast. A comparison of the activity of various compounds for mice and for yeast would be of value from the standpoint of comparative biochemistry. It is also of importance if the effect on yeast is to be used as a basis for a quantitative method for inositol (4). A study of the activity of various related compounds may serve to indicate possible met,abolic pathways in the metabolism of a vitamin. The recent work of Saunders et al. with nicotinic acid (5) has demonstrated what can be accomplished by such an approach. For the various reasons which have been indicated, a study of the activity of several compounds closely related to inositol has been made in which both mice and yeast were used as test organisms.