Abstract: Vanadium is an element with a wide range of effects on the mammalian organism. The ability of this metal to form polyoxovanadates (POVs) and organometallic compounds contributed to the increase in the number of studies on the multidirectional biological activity in view of their application in medicine [1]. Studies of the pharmacological action of vanadium compounds have shown that vanadium has been arousing interest of is potential candidate for therapeutic applications. Many research studies have been shown its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-viral anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypercholesterolemic activity and cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti- obesity effects of vanadium compounds. In vitro and in vivo experimental models in several studies have demonstrated the pharmacological potential of vanadium compounds and has shown that some compounds/complexes of this element can be effective against many microbial diseases such as viruses, parasitic protozoan diseases, mycotoxicosis, bacterial diseases caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria such as food poisoning, gastrointestinal, typhoid fever, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, pneumonia, strep throat and skin diseases. It was also shown that certain vanadium compounds/complexes may have potential in anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypercholesterolemic activity and can act as cardioprotective and neuroprotective agents. Thus, from the biological perspective, vanadium compounds have a great potential in the treatment of many types of diseases. However, we must first recognize the therapeutic targets and understand in detail the pharmacokinetics mechanisms (ADME) and pharmacodynamics, for help to design a better and more efficient vanadium-based drugs.
[1] Manuel Aureliano, Nadiia I. Gumerova, Giuseppe Sciortino, Eugenio Garribba, Annette Rompel, Debbie C. Crans, Polyoxovanadates with emerging biomedical activities, Coordination Chemistry Reviews, Volume 447, 2021,214143, ISSN 0010-8545, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2021.214143.
Acknowledgments
This study received Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology through projects UIDB/04326/2020, UIDB/04326/2020 and LA/P/0101/2020.
