Peroxovanadate but not vanadate exerts insulin-like effects in human adipocytes.

Vanadate and peroxovanadate were recently reported to exert maximal or even supramaximal (peroxovanadate) insulin-like effects in rat adipocytes. To evaluate the response in human cells, isolated human adipocytes were exposed to insulin or various concentrations of vanadate (0-10 mmol/l) or peroxovanadate (0-5 mmol/l). Neither vanadate nor peroxovanadate affected 125I-insulin binding and insulin sensitivity. Vanadate exerted no apparent effect on 14C-U-glucose uptake, whereas 0.1 mmol/l peroxovanadate exerted a full insulin-like response (p < 0.001). No additive response was observed by combining either vanadate or peroxovanadate with insulin. Peroxovanadate at 0.1 mmol/l was as effective as insulin in inhibiting isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis. Neither peroxovanadate nor insulin-inhibited lipolysis stimulated by N6-monobutyryl-cAMP, an analogue which is not hydrolysed by the cAMP-phosphodiesterase. It is concluded that peroxovanadate, but not vanadate, elicits a full insulin-like response in human adipocytes.