Vanadium treatment of diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats results in tissue vanadium accumulation and pro-oxidant effects.

The effect of sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) consumption on trace element metabolism, components of the antioxidant defense system and lipid oxidative damage were studied in control (CON) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (DIAB) rats. Ten days after injection, CON and DIAB rats received either 0 mM NaVO3/80 mM NaCl (0 group) or 1.2 mM NaVO3/80 mM NaCl (1.2V group) in their drinking water. DIAB groups had higher food and fluid intakes than the CON groups; vanadium (V) groups had lower food and fluid intakes than the saline groups. Vanadium therapy lowered plasma glucose concentrations of DIAB rats. The following parameters were similar among the groups: plasma Zn, Cu and Fe concentrations, plasma ceruloplasmin activity, liver Zn, Cu, Mn and Fe concentrations, kidney Mn and Fe concentrations, liver non-Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSH-Red) and Mn-SOD activities, liver reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations and kidney non-Se-dependent GSH-Px activity. Kidney Zn and Cu concentrations were higher in DIAB rats than in CON rats. The CON-1.2V and DIAB-1.2V groups had V accumulation in the liver and kidney. Liver CuZn-SOD and Se-dependent GSH-Px and kidney CuZn-SOD and GSH-Red activities were lower in DIAB rats compared to CON rats; kidney Mn-SOD and kidney Se-dependent GSH-Px activities were higher in DIAB rats than CON rats. Vanadium treatment did not cause significant alterations in the antioxidant defense system; however, tissue vanadium concentrations were positively correlated to TBARS production. These results show that diabetes caused significant alterations in the antioxidant defense system and that V therapy was associated with a marked deterioration in health of both control and diabetic rats.