5-Deoxyinositol (quercitol) is a cyclitol. It can be found in wines aged in oak wood barrels.[2] It can also be found in Quercus sp. (oaks)[3] and in Gymnema sylvestre. It is different from quercetol, a synonym of quercetin.
The proposed biosynthesis of 5-deoxyinositol begins with the conversion of D-glucose to myo-inositol.[4] In this pathway, D-glucose is phosphorylated to form D-glucose-6-phosphate. The NAD+ dependent enzyme inositol 1-phosphate synthase (I1PS) then catalyzes the subsequent oxidation, enolization, aldol cyclization, and reduction of D-glucose 6-phosphate to form myo-inositol 1-phosphate. Hydrolysis of the phosphate group on this molecule gives myo-inositol. Myo-inositol can then be converted into 5-deoxyinositol in three steps,[5] beginning with the oxidation of myo-inositol by inositol dehydrogenase (ID) to form scyllo-inosose. This intermediate is then dehydrated to form a diketone. The reduction of this diketone gives 5-deoxyinositol. This final reduction is thought to be catalyzed by one or more unidentified reductases or dehydrogenases.
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