Insulin-Like Effect of Sodium Orthovanadate on Urea-Cycle Enzymes in Streptozotocin Diabetic Rats

Protein catabolism and the elimination of urea nitrogen increase in the diabetic condition. The mechanism involved in these increases was clarified by studying the levels of enzymes connected to the urea cycle. As vanadium in the form of sodium orthovanadate has been shown to possess insulin-like properties, its effect on urea-cycle enzymes were studied. Male Wistar rats were made diabetic by streptozotocin, and the diabetic rats were then treated with sodium orthovanadate for 15 days. The altered blood glucose, urea, and activities of liver urea-cycle enzymes such as ornithine transcarbamoylase, arginosuccinase, arginase, aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase seen in the diabetic rats were found to be normalized in the sodium orthovanadate-treated diabetic animals. These results indicate the beneficial effect of sodium orthovanadate on experimental diabetes.