Alternative therapies for diabetes and its cardiac complications: role of vanadium.

It is now well known that a cardiomyopathic state accompanies diabetes mellitus. Although insulin injections and conventional hypoglycemic drug therapy have been of invaluable help in reducing cardiac damage and dysfunction in diabetes, cardiac failure continues to be a common cause of death in the diabetic population. The use of alternative medicine to maintain health and treat a variety of diseases has achieved increasing popularity in recent years.

A tea/vanadate decoction delivered orally over 14 months to diabetic rats induces long-term glycemic stability without organ toxicity.

Vanadium can induce potent hypoglycemic effects in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus animals, but toxic adverse effects have inhibited the translation of these findings. Administration of vanadate in a black tea decoction has shown impressive hypoglycemic effects without evidence of toxicity in short-term studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic action and the toxic adverse effects of a tea/vanadate (T/V) decoction in diabetic rats over a 14-month treatment period.

Restoration of cardiomyocyte function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after treatment with vanadate in a tea decoction.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with abnormal cardiomyocyte Ca(2+) transients and contractile performance. We investigated the possibility that an alteration in inositol trisphosphate/phospholipase C (IP₃/PLC) signalling may be involved in this dysfunction. Phosphatidic acid stimulates cardiomyocyte contraction through an IP₃/PLC signaling cascade.

Short-term bioaccumulation of vanadium when ingested with a tea decoction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Sodium orthovanadate suspended in a lichee black tea decoction effectively regulates blood glucose levels in rats with insulin-dependent, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. The primary advantage of vanadate delivery with the tea decoction over conventional systems that use water suspensions of vanadate is a significant reduction in the toxic side effects of vanadate. It is unknown if the tea alters the bioavailability of vanadate.

Effective control of glycemic status and toxicity in Zucker diabetic fatty rats with an orally administered vanadate compound.

A novel black tea decoction containing vanadate has successfully replaced insulin in a rat model of insulin-dependent diabetes but is untested in non-insulin-dependent diabetic animals. A tea-vanadate decoction (TV) containing 30 or 40 mg sodium orthovanadate was administered by oral gavage to two groups of Zucker diabetic fatty rats and a conventional water vehicle containing 30 or 40 mg of sodium orthovanadate to two others. In the latter group receiving the 30-mg dose, vanadate induced diarrhea in 50% of the rats and death in 10%.

Codelivery of a tea extract prevents morbidity and mortality associated with oral vanadate therapy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Oral administration of vanadate has a strong hypoglycemic effect but results in toxic side effects like life-threatening diarrhea. Tea is known to have potent antidiarrhea effects. We investigated the potential of suspending the vanadate in a tea decoction to reduce the diarrheatic action of vanadate.