Abstract
The effect of sodium orthovanadate treatment on the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and the level of lipid peroxide and glutathione of liver, kidney, heart, intestine and testes was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were lowered in liver, kidney, intestine, and testes of the diabetic rats, whereas catalase activity in heart and glutathione peroxidase activity in kidney were elevated. Glutathione peroxidase in liver, glutathione S-transferase in liver and intestine, and glutathione content in liver and testes were found to be decreased in the diabetic animals. The levels of lipid peroxide were found to be increased in all the tissues except the heart, where there was no change. Treatment of diabetic rats with sodium orthovanadate restored the altered activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase and the level of lipid peroxide and glutathione to their normal level. The present findings suggest that vanadate can effectively normalize the diabetesinduced alterations to tissue defense systems.
