AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 272, Issue 1 E30-E35, Copyright © 1997 by American Physiological Society
Effects of bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) are distinct from food restriction in STZ-diabetic rats
V. G. Yuen, C. Orvig and J. H. McNeill
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
In association with the insulin-mimetic properties, vanadium and related
compounds have been shown to normalize hyperphagia associated with diabetes
mellitus. The objective of this study was to clarify the effects of an
organic vanadium compound, bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV), vs. food
restriction on the metabolic abnormalities that occur in diabetes. BMOV was
administered daily in drinking water to streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats
for 6 wk. Pair-fed groups were fed based on the intake for their respective
counterparts from the previous day. Plasma parameters were measured weekly
after a carefully controlled 5-h fasting period. BMOV reduced plasma
glucose (diabetic = 31.2 +/- 1.9, diabetic treated = 10.2 +/- 1.8, and
diabetic pair fed = 34.2 +/- 1.1 mM), triglyceride, and cholesterol levels
to normal without a concomitant increase in plasma insulin levels. There
was no body weight gain in the diabetic pair-fed group compared with all
other groups. BMOV but not pair feeding was effective in preventing the
decreased cardiac function observed in STZ-diabetic rats. These data
suggest that the glucose-lowering properties of BMOV are independent of the
effects of dietary restriction and reinforce the efficacy of BMOV as an
effective antihyperglycemic agent.
