Vanadium shows no effect in stress-induced hyperthermia and the tail suspension test in healthy mice

Abstract

Vanadium (V) is a trace element in the environment; it is detected in soil, water, air, dust, and food products. V-containing compounds have shown therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetes. However, studies on the effects of V on animal behavior remain limited and sporadic. This study investigates the impact of acute (0.2, 2, 5 mg/kg, and 20 mg/kg) or repeated V administration (2 mg/kg/day; 7 days) in mice, employing stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) as the primary behavioral assay. Additionally, its influence was assessed through single-dose administration in the tail suspension test (TST) and the Rota-rod test. The findings indicate no significant effects of V on the studied parameters, although motor coordination was notably impaired. Electrophysiological experiments were conducted to further elucidate vanadium's influence on neuronal function to assess its effects on long-term potentiation (LTP), a key process in synaptic plasticity, revealing no discernible impact. Moreover, the expression levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, specifically GABAA1, GABAB1, and GABAB2, as well as glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67), were analyzed in the frontal cortex (FCx) using western blotting. Collectively, the results indicate a negligible influence of V on glutamatergic transmission and GABAergic receptor activity, after a single administration to healthy mice.