RESUMEN
<p><b>AIM</b>To study the hypoglycemic effect of bis (alpha-furancarboxylato) oxovanadium (IV) (VO-FA) in normal rats and streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rats were injected intraperitoneally STZ 50 mg.kg(-1) to induce diabetes. Blood glucose, glycohemoglobin, glycogen and serum insulin were observed after administering intragastrically VO-FA for four weeks.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 2 weeks administration, VO-FA reduced the blood glucose in STZ-rats (P < 0. 01) dose-dependently, and up to 4 weeks the blood glucose was normalized (below 11.1 mmol.L(-1)) in some of STZ-rats, whereas did not decrease in normal rats. After administration of VO-FA at the dosage of 56.8 and 113.6 mg.kg(-1), the serum insulin levels were lowered in normal rats and STZ-rats, respectively. Moreover, VO-FA reduced glycohemoglobin, improved the glucose tolerance, and increased the liver glycogen and muscle glycogen contents in STZ-rats in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0. 05, P < 0. 01), but not in normal rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>VO-FA could improve the glycometabolism in STZ-rats, but not in normal rats.</p>