mineral deficiencies in people whose diets rely highly on bran and seeds for their mineral intake, such as occurs in developing countries. Inositol penta- (IP5), tetra- (IP4), and triphosphate (IP3) are also called "phytates". Industrial uses Explosives industry At the 1936 meeting of the American Chemical Society, professor Edward Bartow of the University of Iowa presented a commercially viable means of extracting large amounts of inositol from the phytic acid naturally present in waste corn. As a possible use for the chemical, he suggested 'inositol nitrate' as a more stable alternative to nitroglycerin. Today, inositol nitrate is used to gelatinize nitrocellulose in many modern explosives and solid rocket propellants. Road salt When plants are exposed to increasing concentrations of road salt, the plant cells become dysfunctional and undergo apoptosis, leading to inhibited growth. Inositol pretreatment could reverse these effects. Research and clinical applications Psychiatry Bipolar disorder Inositol has been repurposed as a possible augmentation strategy for depressive episodes in bipolar disorder. However, regardless of that, its link to serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate receptors, there have been very few trials, and several separate but similar experiments to gain evidence, that did not show a significant superiority to placebo in terms of efficacy for bipolar depression. Depression Large doses of inositol have been studied for treatment of depression, but further study is needed to determine whether this is an effective treatment. Panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder Inositol has been found to have modest to moderate effects in patients with panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Trichotillomania High doses of inositol are sometimes used to treat trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling) and related disorders, but a small (N=38) double-blinded placebo-controlled trial did not find a statistically significant improvement with inositol. Other illnesses Inositol should not be routinely implemented for the management of preterm babies who have or are at a risk of infant respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Myo-inositol helps prevent neural tube defects with particular efficacy in combination with folic acid. Inositol is considered a safe and effective treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It works by increasing insulin sensitivity, which helps to improve ovarian function and reduce hyperandrogenism. It is also shown to reduce the risk of metabolic disease in people with PCOS. In addition, thanks to its role as FSH second messenger, myo-inositol is effective in restoring FSH/LH ratio and menstrual cycle regularization. myo-Inositol's role as FSH second messenger leads to a correct ovarian