Tungstate is an effective antidiabetic agent in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: a long-term study.
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies have shown the anti diabetic effects of oral sodium tungstate treatment in several animal models of diabetes based on short-term experiments. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of long-term tungstate treatment of streptozotocin-induced-diabetic rats.


METHODS
Tungstate was administered to the drinking water of rats for eight months.


RESULTS
The treatment resulted in a reduction in serum glucose concentrations in diabetic rats, but no change in glycaemia was detected in healthy rats. Alterations in the hepatic glucose metabolism due to diabetes were almost completely counteracted by tungstate treatment. The partial recovery of glucokinase activity, not found in diabetic animals, normalised glycogen and glucose 6-phosphate concentrations. Tungstate treatment also restored pyruvate kinase activity and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentrations. In healthy rats, tungstate treatment did not modify the majority of the hepatic parameters studied. Moreover, tungstate treatment prevented diabetes-induced morphological changes in the kidney and ocular lens and also reduced mortality. Furthermore, no hypoglycaemic episodes or undesirable side effects were observed in treated diabetic or healthy rats. In addition, there is no evidence of intolerance developing after prolonged use.


CONCLUSIONS
Tungstate could play a helpful part in the long-term treatment of diabetes.
Barberà
A
A
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain.
Gomis
R R
RR
Prats
N
N
Rodríguez-Gil
J E
JE
Domingo
M
M
Gomis
R
R
Guinovart
J J
JJ
D000375:Aging; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005635:Fructosediphosphates / Q000032:analysis; D005941:Glucokinase / Q000032:analysis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate / Q000032:analysis; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017973:Tungsten Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005635:Fructosediphosphates; D017973:Tungsten Compounds; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate; C027652:fructose 2,6-diphosphate; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D005941:Glucokinase; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase; D005947:Glucose; C045951:tungstate