EFFECTS OF VANADATE ADMINISTRATION ON THE HIGH SUCROSE DIET-INDUCED ABERRATIONS IN NORMAL RATS

Effects of feeding sucrose rich diet supplemented with and without the insulinmimetic agent vanadate for a period of six weeks were studied in rats. Sucrose diet caused hypertriglyceridemia (140% increase), hyp erinsulinemia (120% increase) and significant elevations in the levels of glucose (p< 0.001) and cholesterol (p< 0.05) in plasma as compared to control starch fed rats. Activities of hepatic lipogenic enzymes, ATP-citrate lyase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme increased by 100-150% as a result of sucrose feeding. However, glycoge n content and the activities of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in liver remained unaltered in these animals. The plasma levels of triac ylglycerols and insulin in the rats fed on vanadate supplemented sucro se diet were 65% and 85% less, respectively as compared to rats on suc rose diet without vanadate. The concentrations of glucose and choleste rol in plasma and the activities of lipogenic enzymes in liver did not show any elevation in sucrose fed rats when supplemented with vanadat e. These data indicate that the sucrose diet-induced metabolic aberrat ions can be prevented by the insulin-mimetic agent, vanadate.