Biochemistry and pathophysiology of vanadium.

The biochemistry and function of vanadate and its possible role in health as well as in disease remains one of the most fascinating stories in biology. This review has surveyed the pertinent literature regarding its effect in the normal kidney and other tissues. While inhibition of the Na(+)-K+ ATPase enzyme was the first described and perhaps the most widely studied, the element clearly has other actions. Speculation as to whether vanadate is a part of the pathogenesis of the 'uremic syndrome', acquired cystic kidney disease, depression, and bone disease should provoke the clinical investigator and the basic researcher alike to a myriad of new and intriguing experiments.