Abstract
The use of metals in medicine has grown in popularity in clinical and commercial settings. In this study, the immune-protecting effects and the hypoglycemic and antioxidant activity of vanadyl sulfate (VOSO
4
) and/or selenium tetrachloride (Se) on oxidative injury, DNA damage, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia were assessed. Fifty male albino rats were divided into five groups, and all treatments were administrated at 9:00 a.m. daily for 60 successive days: control, STZ (Streptozotocin; 50 mg/kg of STZ was given to 6 h fasted animals in a single dose, followed by confirmation of diabetic state occurrence after 72 h by blood glucose estimation at >280 mg/dl), STZ (Diabetic) plus administration of VOSO
4
(15 mg/kg) for 60 days, STZ (Diabetic) plus administration of selenium tetrachloride (0.87 mg/Kg), and STZ plus VOSO
4
and, after 1/2 h, administration of selenium tetrachloride at the above doses. The test subjects’ blood glucose, insulin hormone, HbA1C, C-peptide, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, myeloperoxidase, and xanthine oxidase), markers of lipid peroxidation (MDA), and histological sections of pancreatic tissues were evaluated, and a comet assay was performed. Histological sections in pancreas tissues were treated as indicators of both VOSO
4
and selenium tetrachloride efficacy, either alone or combined, for the alleviation of STZ toxicity. The genotoxicity of diabetes mellitus was assessed, and the possible therapeutic roles of VOSO
4
or selenium tetrachloride, or both, on antioxidant enzymes were studied. The findings show that the administration of VOSO
4
with selenium tetrachloride reduced oxidative stress to normal levels, lowered blood glucose levels, and elevated insulin hormone. Additionally, VOSO
4
with selenium tetrachloride had a synergistic effect and significantly decreased pancreatic genotoxicity. The data clearly show that both VOSO
4
and selenium tetrachloride inhibit pancreatic and DNA injury and improve the oxidative state in male rats, suggesting that the use of VOSO
4
with selenium tetrachloride is a promising synergistic potential ameliorative agent in the diabetic animal model.