Vanadium and insulin: Partners in metabolic regulation

• Published in: Journal of inorganic biochemistry Vol. 208; p. 111094
• Main Authors: Treviño, Samuel, Diaz, Alfonso
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2020
• Subjects: Cancer; Insulin signaling; Leptin signaling; Metabolic diseases; Vanadium; Vanadium compounds; Metabolic diseases; Vanadium compounds; Leptin signaling; Vanadium; Insulin signaling; Cancer
• ISSN: 0162-0134; 1873-3344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2020.111094

Since the 1970s, the biological role of vanadium compounds has been discussed as insulin-mimetic or insulin-enhancer agents. The action of vanadium compounds has been investigated to determine how they influence the insulin signaling pathway. Khan and coworkers proposed key proteins for the insulin pathway study, introducing the concept “critical nodes”. In this review, we also considered critical kinases and phosphatases that participate in this pathway, which will permit a better comprehension of a critical node, where vanadium can act: a) insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrates, and protein tyrosine phosphatases; b) phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase, 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin complex, protein kinase B, and phosphatase and tensin homolog; and c) insulin receptor substrates and mitogen-activated protein kinases, each node having specific negative modulators. Additionally, leptin signaling was considered because together with insulin, it modulates glucose and lipid homeostasis. Even in recent literature, the possibility of vanadium acting against metabolic diseases or cancer is confirmed although the mechanisms of action are not well understood because these critical nodes have not been systematically investigated. Through this review, we establish that vanadium compounds mainly act as phosphatase inhibitors and hypothesize on their capacity to affect kinases, which are critical to other hormones that also act on common parts of the insulin pathway.
Into cell, the vanadium species can act at the same time on different critical nodes of insulin and leptin pathways, modulating phosphatases and kinases activity. Thus, vanadium has multi-target regulation such as glucose and lipid metabolism, protein synthesis, as well as growth, survival, proliferation, and death cell. [Display omitted]
•The insulin pathway was grouped into critical nodes related to vanadium activity.•Leptin signaling modulates the cell functions linked to the insulin pathway.•Vanadium has activity on leptin and insulin signaling.•V improves insulin/leptin signaling via inhibiting/interfere of phosphatases/kinases.