Decavanadate induced rat liver mitochondrial depolarization at very low concentrations, half-depolarization with 39 nM decavanadate, while it was needed a 130-fold higher concentration of monomeric vanadate (5 microM) to induce the same effect. Decavanadate also inhibits mitochondrial repolarization induced by reduced glutathione in vitro, with an inhibition constant of 1 microM, whereas no eff...

Adipocytes route internalized insulin through two major pathways, a degradative pathway and a retroendocytotic pathway. To examine whether sorting of incoming insulin-receptor complexes can be altered, we assessed the effect of vanadate on the intracellular processing of both insulin and insulin receptors. After cells were pretreated with vanadate (1 mM for 30 min at 37 degrees C), 125I-insulin...

Vanadate ions, low-molecular-weight phosphate analogues, mimic most of the rapid actions of insulin in various cell types. When administered orally to diabetic hyperglycemic rats, vanadate reaches the circulation, mimics insulin stimulation of glucose uptake and metabolism, and leads to normoglycemic and partial anabolic states. In addition, vanadate restores tissue responsiveness to insulin an...

Amylase activity and mRNA abundance are reduced to less than 1% of normal levels in diabetic rat pancreas. Administration of vanadate in drinking water restored normal amylase activity and amylase mRNA levels. These results demonstrate an effect of vanadate on pancreatic acinar cells and suggest that vanadate can mimic the effect of insulin on transcription of the pancreatic amylase gene.

To study the cardioprotective effects of vanadate on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, isolated rat hearts perfused at constant flow were subjected to global ischemia for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 30 min. In this experimental model, I/R markedly decreased ventricular developed pressure and increased end-diastolic pressure. Pretreatment of hearts with 4 microM vanadate attenuated I/R-i...

The disruption of endoplasmic reticulum function leads to an accumulation of unfolded proteins, which results in endoplasmic reticulum stress. In the present study, we investigated the effect of vanadate on such stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress increased glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) expressions in glial cell cultures. We f...

Endothelial cells possess constitutive or inducible cyclo-oxygenase (COX) isoenzymes for prostacyclin production, but the mechanisms for their expression are largely unknown. We found that vanadate, an inhibitor of protein-tyrosine phosphatases, induced the expression of two COX isoenzyme mRNAs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Vanadate also...