EFFECT OF VANADATE ON REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY IN NORMAL AND STREPTOZOCIN-TREATED DIABETIC RATS

The effects of oral vanadate treatment on the reproductive efficiency of normal and diabetic female rats were studied. Vanadate treatment in a dose-dependent manner reduced both the conception rate and the abil ity to carry pregnancy to term compared with a control group. These ef fects were more severe in diabetic groups as compared with nondiabetic groups. At the 0.25 mg/mL vanadate dose, the conception rate was redu ced by 13% and 33% for the nondiabetic group and the diabetic group, r espectively. At the 0.50 mg/mL dose, this rate decreased by 20% and 47 % for the nondiabetic and diabetic groups, respectively. With an ident ical oral vanadate regimen of 0.25 mg/mL, the ability to sustain pregn ancy to term was reduced by 30% and 90% for the nondiabetic and diabet ic groups, respectively, and by 84% and 100% for these groups at a dos e of 0.50 mg/mL. Although the blood vanadate concentrations were an or der of magnitude higher in diabetic animals treated with vanadate than in nondiabetic animals under an identical vanadate treatment, oral va nadate treatments had no measurable effects in ameliorating hyperglyce mia in these diabetic pregnant animals. In conclusion, vanadate is ine ffective in normalizing blood glucose in pregnant diabetic rats, and i t impairs reproductive capacity and the ability to sustain pregnancy t o term in both nondiabetic and diabetic animals. Copyright (C) 1994 by W.B. Saunders Company