Although vanadium is found abundantly in animal and plant kingdoms its biological effects are not clear. Vanadate compounds have been shown to normalize blood glucose levels in streptozotocin treated rats, enhance glucose oxidation and improve the sensitivity to insulin by enhanced receptor binding in rat adipocytes.

Insulin receptor binding was examined in the microvillous membranes of mid-term (20-22 weeks of gestation, MT) and full-term (FT) placentas from patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and in normal pregnant control (N). Mid-term placentas were obtained from patients who have had spontaneous abortion.

In this article, the author discusses the prevalence of insulin autoantibodies (IAA) and endogenous insulin secretion in Saudi patients at the onset of diabetes. A positive result, defined as a value greater than 3 SD above the mean binding of normal, was found in 8 (7.6%) of 105 of the patients with diabetes and in 3 (5.7%) of 53 of the healthy control subjects.