Wojciech Dabros(1), Dariusz Dziga(3), Anna M. Kordowiak(2)

The Influence of BMOV [bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV)] on Biochemical and Morphological Alterations Characteristic for Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rat Liver Golgi Complexes

1)Department of Clinical and Experimental Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum,
2)Department of General Biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology,
3)Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Jagiellonian University, Krakow

Abstract

The activity of galactosyltransferase (GalT), the Golgi apparatus marker enzyme, together with the morphology of this organelle in rat liver, are so characteristic that we have used them for twenty years as a test of streptozotocin-diabetes, and of the efficacy of different drugs. Bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV), an oral vanadium complex with anti-diabetic properties, best of these drugs, was seen to reverse the previously found biochemical and morphological changes [8]. Four groups of diabetic rats were studied in different conditions: 1) untreated diabetes (D group), 2) pre-treatment with BMOV for two days, to accustom the animals to the taste of vanadium solution and to verify possible cytoprotection of the drug, followed by the induction of diabetes c. 3 weeks later (pVD group). The third group - 3) consisted of the rats, in which STZ-diabetes was induced followed by treatment of diabetic animals with 1.8mmol BMOV in 0.5%NaCl for seven days (D+V group). The fourth group - 4) consisted of the animals treated as pVD group, followed by induction of diabetes three weeks later and treatment with BMOV (pVD+V group) for seven days. In agreement with other investigators, the reduction of body weight was seen in all diabetic rats. Vanadium treatment caused the greatest body weight reduction. Liquid and food intake was lower in both groups at seven days after treatment with BMOV. Major biochemical alterations in yields of Golgi-rich membrane fraction were found in D, pVD and pVD+V groups. They were significantly lower (p<0.01) than in D+V group. A significantly lower activity of GalT (total activity and calculated in nmol transferred per h and per g of liver) was found in the three groups of diabetic rats in comparison with D+V group (p<0.01 or p<0.001). GalT activities, as well as the yield of Golgi fraction in D+V group, were similar to the previously obtained in control or control vanadium treated groups [7, 8]. A major morphological alteration was observed in D and pVD+V groups (characteristic semicircular or arched Golgi apparatus - AG). In the pVD group a different structure of AG was seen: short terminally dilated cisternae, sometimes only semicircular and arched. In rats treated 7 days with BMOV (the D+V group) the "normalisation" of morphology of liver AG was noted.