1H NMR detection of cerebral myo-inositol

A previously unassigned group of prominent multiplets of the 360 MHz 1H NMR spectrum of acid stable metabolite extracts from rat brain is shown to arise from free myo-inositol. This conclusion is derived from a systematic analysis of the high-resolution 1H NMR spectra of brain acid extracts, in which appropriate conditions and optimal proton signals have been selected for the quantitative analysis of up to 15 metabolites. Developmental variations in the cerebral content of myo-inositol could be readily detected using this approach, which provides a novel alternative to study myo-inositol metabolism under physiological or pathological conditions.