Abstract
Vanadium (V) in its inorganic forms is a toxic metal and a potent environmental and occupational pollutant and has been reported to induce toxic effects in animals and people. In vivo and in vitro data show that high levels of reactive oxygen species are often implicated in vanadium deleterious effects. Since many dietary (exogenous) antioxidants are known to upregulate the intrinsic antioxidant system and ameliorate oxidative stress-related disorders, this review evaluates their effectiveness in the treatment of vanadium-induced toxicity. Collected data, mostly from animal studies, suggest that dietary antioxidants including ascorbic acid, vitamin E, polyphenols, phytosterols, and extracts from medicinal plants can bring a beneficial effect in vanadium toxicity. These findings show potential preventive effects of dietary antioxidants on vanadium-induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, neurotoxicity, testicular toxicity, and kidney damage. The relevant mechanistic insights of these events are discussed. In summary, the results of studies on the role of dietary antioxidants in vanadium toxicology appear encouraging enough to merit further investigations.
Highlights
It is well known that one of the mechanisms associated with the toxicity of heavy metals is oxidative stress [1] defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defenses, which may lead to tissue injury [2]
The serious side effects that may occur during the chelation therapy such as depletion of essential minerals, prooxidant effects, hepatic and renal toxicity, and no removal of heavy metals from intracellular compartments are the major drawbacks of this treatment [3]
This review explores the past and current data on the effectiveness of antioxidants of diet in treatment of vanadium toxicity examined in animal and cell culture models
Summary
It is well known that one of the mechanisms associated with the toxicity of heavy metals is oxidative stress [1] defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defenses, which may lead to tissue injury [2]. The beneficial action of dietary and plantderived antioxidants on toxicity of some of the heavy metals has been reported Flavonoids such as epigallocatechin gallate and curcumin have been shown to possess protective activity against cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity in rats [5, 6]. In view of the fact that oxidative stress is an underlying mechanism of vanadium-induced toxicity, natural compounds with antioxidant properties are gaining increasing attention as cheap and safe antidotes against vanadium. To this end, this review explores the past and current data on the effectiveness of antioxidants of diet (vitamins C and E, polyphenols, phytosterols, and plant extracts) in treatment of vanadium toxicity examined in animal and cell culture models. Studies identified in this review may help in the development of dietary strategies to improve protection of humans at high risk of vanadium toxicity
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