Ecology/ 1. The state of
the biosphere and its impact on human health
D. Shalabayeva,
Khanturin M.R
The Effect of vanadium ions on organisms
Metallic vanadium is not found in nature but vanadium
compounds occur naturally in many minerals and fossil fuels:
vanadium-containing minerals (vanadinite, Chile, cartridges, carnotite) do not
occur in the form of separate deposits but are dispersed in iron ores (which
are an important source of industrial production of vanadium), in oilfields,
asphalts deposits, bitumens, oil shale, coal (e.g., Peru), etc. It is present
in high amounts in oil, bitumen, asphalt, in oil shale as part of porfirite
microcycle. Therefore, vanadium is considered to be one of the rare elements
[1].
The daily amount of vanadium in the human body is
39.004 mmol, 39 of which are delivered by food and 0.004 by air [2].
The main exposure route of vanadium is the inhalation
of dust particles containing vanadium oxide (e.g. at the metallurgical
production sites which burn oil or coal containing vanadium). This path is the
most dangerous in terms of the negative impact on human health. The main
source of vanadium intake is food (in relatively small quantities)
[3]. Vanadium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract depends on the
solubility of its compounds and chemical forms [4,5].
The small non-toxic doses of vanadium significantly
affect the biosynthesis and the exchange of cholesterol and lipids in the body.
It also stimulates the bone mineralization and prevents the development of
dental caries. It has been also observed the beneficial effects of vanadium and
selenium on people living in geochemical areas with relatively high content of
these elements [6, 7].
In 1979, it was first
found that the addition of vanadium in vitro system exerts the insulin-like effects. It has been
shown that vanadium stimulates glucose uptake and its oxidation in rat
adipocytes and hepatic glycogen synthesis and inhibits gluconeogenesis of
diaphragm and the liver [8,9].
Almost all compounds of vanadium have insulin-like
effects. Several experiments illustrated that the administration of orthovanadate
and vanadyl-sulfate and other vanadium compounds in diabetic rats normalized
the blood glucose levels, improved the number of disturbed functions in
different tissues without serious toxic lesions. The insulin-like effect of
vanadyl-sulfate is more pronounced. Since vanadyl-sulfate is less toxic, it can
be considered as the basis for the synthesis of compounds that have
hypoglycemic effects [8].
In addition, vanadate inhibits the glucose production
in the liver of rat and intensifies glycolysis influencing the various enzymes
of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.
One of the main features of vanadate is its inhibition of protein
tyrosine phosphatases. The phosphorylation of tyrosine beta-subunit of insulin
receptor and IRS-1 (substrate of insulin-1 receptor) is the first step in the
insulin receptor hormone signal transmission into target cells [9].
In the experiment, white mongrel rats were exposed to
vanadium pentoxide at the different concentrations.
The laboratory animals were divided into 5
groups: 1) a control, 2) acute exposure to vanadium pentoxide, 3) acute
exposure to vanadium pentoxide and correction with a drug
“Salsocollinum”, 4) chronic exposure to vanadium pentoxide and 5) chronic
exposure to
vanadium pentoxide and correction with a drug “Salsocollinum”.
The results of the experiment showed that the vanadium
pentoxide tend to decrease the level of blood glucose, α-amylase activity,
total protein content in the blood plasma and content of total bilirubin and
increase ALT and AST activities, thymol and the level of creatinine. The
reduction in blood glucose level is probably due to the increase in its
consumption by tissues and thus damaging effect on the hepatic parenchyma, the
kidneys and the heart muscle. Salsocollinum has a liver and kidney function
protective effect and no appreciable effect on carbohydrate metabolism. It also
increases cytogenetic violations illustrating its genotoxic effect.
References
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