Reversal of vanadate-induced inhibition of Na-K ATPase. A possible explanation of the therapeutic effect of carbamazepine in affective illness.

There is evidence that carbamazepine is of therapeutic benefit in manic depressive illness. There is also evidence that raised vanadium levels may be of aetiological importance in manic depressive illness. The present study examined the effect, in vitro, of therapeutic concentrations of carbamazepine on the inhibition by ammonium metavanadate of the Na-K ATPase of erythrocytes from normal and from manic depressive subjects. The inhibition by vanadate was largely reversed by carbamazepine. This effect may be related to the therapeutic action of carbamazepine in manic depressive illness.