S. Maneemegalai et al., INSULIN-LIKE EFFECT OF SODIUM ORTHOVANADATE ON UREA-CYCLE ENZYMES IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-DIABETIC RATS, Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 16(3), 1994, pp. 187-192
Protein catabolism and the elimination of urea nitrogen increase in th
e diabetic condition. The mechanism involved in these increases was cl
arified by studying the levels of enzymes connected to the urea cycle.
As vanadium in the form of sodium orthovanadate has been shown to pos
sess insulin-like properties, its effect on urea-cycle enzymes were st
udied. Male Wistar rats were made diabetic by streptozotocin, and the
diabetic rats were then treated with sodium orthovanadate for 15 days.
The altered blood glucose, urea, and activities of liver urea-cycle e
nzymes such as ornithine transcarbamoylase, arginosuccinase, arginase,
aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase seen in the diabetic
rats were found to be normalized in the sodium orthovanadate-treated
diabetic animals. These results indicate the beneficial effect of sodi
um orthovanadate on experimental diabetes.