Synthesis of a new insulin-mimetic anti-diabetic drug containing vitamin A and vanadium(IV) salt: Chemico-biological characterizations

Diabetes patients suffer from chronic disorders in the metabolism due to high blood sugar caused by anomalies in insulin excretion. Recently, vanadium compounds have been prepared and functionalized to decrease the level of hyperglycemia. Vitamin A boosts beta cell activity; therefore, the lack of this vitamin plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this article focused on the synthesis of a new anti-diabetic drug formed from the complexation of a vanadium(IV) salt with vitamin A. Vitamin A acts as a unidentate chelate through the oxygen of its -OH group. The vanadium(IV) compound is surrounded by two vitamin A molecules. The [VO(vitamin A)(2)(H2O)(2)] compound was synthesized in a binary solvent system consisting of MeOH/H2O (1:1 ratio) in alkaline media at pH=8. This compound was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), electronic spectra (UV-vis), effective magnetic moment, electron spin resonance (ESR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermal analysis (thermogravimetry (TG)-differential thermal analysis (DTA)). Anti-diabetic efficiency for the vanadium(IV) compound was assessed in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The results of the animal studies demonstrate the ability of the vanadium(IV) complex to act as an anti-diabetic agent, as measured by improvements of lipid profile, antioxidant activity (superoxide dismutase), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione, methionine synthase, and kidney and liver functions.