Effectiveness of some chelating agents on distribution and excretion of vanadium in rats after prolonged oral administration.

Vanadium has been shown to have a number of insulin-like effects and has been demonstrated to be beneficial in the treatment of streptozotocin-diabetic rats when included in the drinking water. However, some signs of toxicity and vanadium accumulation in all analysed tissues were reported in vanadium-treated animals. In the present study, the effect of repeated intraperitoneal administration of sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate (Tiron), ascorbic acid and deferoxamine mesylate (DFOA) or 2-mercaptosuccinic acid on the distribution and excretion of vanadium was determined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats received sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) or vanadyl sulphate pentahydrate (VOSO4.5H2O) in the drinking water at concentrations of 0.15 mg ml-1 (NaVO3) and 0.31 mg ml-1 (VOSO4.5H2O) for 6 weeks. After the end of this exposure period, chelating agents were administered for 2 weeks (3 days per week) at doses approximately equal to one-tenth of their respective LD50. Urine was collected on days 1, 7 and 14 of treatment. Twenty-four hours after the final chelator injection, rats were killed and vanadium concentrations were determined in various tissues. Tiron and DFOA were effective compounds in mobilizing vanadium after NaVO3 administration, whereas Tiron was the most effective chelator after vanadyl sulphate administration. Ascorbic acid neither increased urinary elimination nor decreased tissue vanadium concentrations.