Cytotoxicity of vanadium dioxide nanoparticles to human embryonic kidney cell line: Compared with vanadium(IV/V) ions.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a class of thermochromic material with potential applications in various fields. Massive production and wide application of VO2 raise the concern of its potential toxicity to human, which has not been fully understood. Herein, a commercial VO2 nanomaterial (S-VO2) was studied for its potential toxicity to human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293, and two most common vanadium ions, V(IV) and V(V), were used for comparison to reveal the related mechanism. Our results indicate that S-VO2 induces dose-dependent cellular viability loss mainly through the dissolved V ions of S-VO2 outside the cell rather than S-VO2 particles inside the cell. The dissolved V ions of S-VO2 overproduce reactive oxygen species to trigger apoptosis and proliferation inhibition via several signaling pathways of cell physiology, such as MAPK and PI3K-Akt, among others. All bioassays indicate that the differences in toxicity between S-VO2, V(IV), and V(V) in HEK293 cells are very small, supporting that the toxicity is mainly due to the dissolved V ions, in the form of V(V) and/or V(IV), but the V(V)'s behavior is more similar to S-VO2 according to the gene expression analysis. This study reveals the toxicity mechanism of nanosized VO2 at the molecular level and the role of dissolution of VO2, providing valuable information for safe applications of vanadium oxides.

Nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) nanocomposite induces apoptosis targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in skin cancer: An in vitro and in vivo study.

In the present study, the vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) was prepared and determined for in vitro anticancer activity. The structural characterization of the prepared V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 was determined using diverse morphological and spectroscopic analyses. The DRS-UV analysis displayed the absorbance at 215 nm for V2O5 and 331 nm for Ni@V2O5 as the primary validation of the synthesis of V2O5 and Ni@V2O5. The EDS spectra exhibited the presence of 30% of O, 69% of V, and 1% of Ni and the EDS mapping showed the constant dispersion. The FE-SEM and FE-TEM analysis showed the V2O5 nanoparticles are rectangle-shaped and nanocomposites have excellent interfaces between nickel and V2O5. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation of Ni@V2O5 nanocomposite endorses the occurrence of elements V, O, and Ni. The in vitro MTT assay clearly showed that the V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 have significantly inhibited the proliferation of B16F10 skin cancer cells. In addition, the nanocomposite produces the endogenous reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria, causes the mitochondrial membrane and nuclear damage, and consequently induces apoptosis by caspase 9/3 enzymatic activity in skin cancer cells. Also, the western blot analysis showed that the nanocomposite suppresses the oncogenic marker proteins such as PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in the skin cancer cells. Together, the results showed that Ni@V2O5 can be used as an auspicious anticancer agent against skin cancer.

A promising electrochemical sensor based on PVP-induced shape control of a hydrothermally synthesized layered structured vanadium disulfide for the sensitive detection of a sulfamethoxazole antibiotic.

The presence of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in natural waters has become a significant concern recently because of its detrimental effects on human health and the ecological environment. To address this issue, it is of utmost urgency to develop a reliable method that can determine SMX at ultra-low levels. In our research, we utilized PVP-induced shape control of a hydrothermal synthesis method to fabricate layer-like structured VS2, and employed it as an electrode modification material to prepare an electrochemical sensor for the sensitive determination of SMX. Thus, our prepared VS2 electrodes exhibited a linear range of 0.06-10.0 µM and a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 47.0 nM (S/N = 3) towards SMX detection. Additionally, the electrochemical sensor presented good agreement with the HPLC method, and afforded perfect recovery results (97.4-106.8%) in the practical analysis. The results validated the detection accuracy of VS2 electrodes, and demonstrated their successful applicability toward the sensitive determination of SMX in natural waters. In conclusion, this research provides a promising approach for the development of electrochemical sensors based on VS2 composite materials.

Vanadium Compounds with Antidiabetic Potential.

Over the last four decades, vanadium compounds have been extensively studied as potential antidiabetic drugs. With the present review, we aim at presenting a general overview of the most promising compounds and the main results obtained with in vivo studies, reported from 1899-2023. The chemistry of vanadium is explored, discussing the importance of the structure and biochemistry of vanadate and the impact of its similarity with phosphate on the antidiabetic effect. The spectroscopic characterization of vanadium compounds is discussed, particularly magnetic resonance methodologies, emphasizing its relevance for understanding species activity, speciation, and interaction with biological membranes. Finally, the most relevant studies regarding the use of vanadium compounds to treat diabetes are summarized, considering both animal models and human clinical trials. An overview of the main hypotheses explaining the biological activity of these compounds is presented, particularly the most accepted pathway involving vanadium interaction with phosphatase and kinase enzymes involved in the insulin signaling cascade. From our point of view, the major discoveries regarding the pharmacological action of this family of compounds are not yet fully understood. Thus, we still believe that vanadium presents the potential to help in metabolic control and the clinical management of diabetes, either as an insulin-like drug or as an insulin adjuvant. We look forward to the next forty years of research in this field, aiming to discover a vanadium compound with the desired therapeutic properties.

Carbon Nitride Pillared Vanadate Via Chemical Pre-Intercalation Towards High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Vanadium based compounds are promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc (Zn)-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their high specific capacity. However, the narrow interlayer spacing, low intrinsic conductivity and the vanadium dissolution still restrict their further application. Herein, we present an oxygen-deficient vanadate pillared by carbon nitride (C3 N4 ) as the cathode for AZIBs through a facile self-engaged hydrothermal strategy. Of note, C3 N4 nanosheets can act as both the nitrogen source and pre-intercalation species to transform the orthorhombic V2 O5 into layered NH4 V4 O10 with expanded interlayer spacing. Owing to the pillared structure and abundant oxygen vacancies, both the Zn2+ ion (de)intercalation kinetics and the ionic conductivity in the NH4 V4 O10 cathode are promoted. As a result, the NH4 V4 O10 cathode delivers exceptional Zn-ion storage ability with a high specific capacity of about 370 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 , a high-rate capability of 194.7 mAh g-1 at 20 A g-1 and a stable cycling performance of 10 000 cycles.

Tear-based MMP-9 detection: A rapid antigen test for ocular inflammatory disorders using vanadium disulfide nanowires assisted chemi-resistive biosensor.

A sensitive, non-invasive, and biomarker detection in tear fluids for inflammation in potentially blinding eye diseases could be of great significance as a rapid diagnostic tool for quick clinical decisions. In this work, we propose a tear-based MMP-9 antigen testing platform using hydrothermally synthesized vanadium disulfide nanowires. Also, various factors contributing to baseline drifts of the chemiresistive sensor including nanowire coverage on the interdigitated microelectrode of the sensor, sensor response duration, and effect of MMP-9 protein in different matrix solutions were identified. The drifts on the sensor baseline due to nanowire coverage on the sensor were corrected using substrate thermal treatment providing a more uniform distribution of nanowires on the electrode which brought the baseline drift to 18% (coefficient of variations, CV = 18%). This biosensor exhibited sub-femto level limits of detection (LODs) of 0.1344 fg/mL (0.4933 fmoL/l) and 0.2746 fg/mL (1.008 fmoL/l) in 10 mM phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and artificial tear solution, respectively. For a practical tear MMP-9 detection, the proposed biosensor response was validated with multiplex ELISA using tear samples from five healthy controls which showed excellent precision. This label-free and non-invasive platform can serve as an efficient diagnostic tool for the early detection and monitoring of various ocular inflammatory diseases.

Vanadium compounds as antiparasitic agents: An approach to their mechanisms of action.

BACKGROUND: Parasitic infections are a public health problem since they have high morbidity and mortality worldwide. In parasitosis such as malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis it is necessary to develop new compounds for their treatment since an increase in drug resistance and toxic effects have been observed. Therefore, the use of different compounds that couple vanadium in their structure and that have a broad spectrum against different parasites have been proposed experimentally. OBJECTIVE: Report the mechanisms of action exerted by vanadium in different parasites. CONCLUSION: In this review, some of the targets that vanadium compounds have were identified and it was observed that they have a broad spectrum against different parasites, which represents an advance to continue investigating therapeutic options.

Toxicity studies of sodium metavanadate and vanadyl sulfate administered in drinking water to Sprague Dawley (Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD) rats and B6C3F1/N mice.

Oral human exposure to vanadium may occur due to its presence in food and drinking water and its use in dietary supplements. The most prevalent oxidation states of vanadium in food and drinking water have been characterized as tetravalent and pentavalent. Vanadyl sulfate and sodium metavanadate were selected as representative tetravalent (V4+) and pentavalent (V5+) test articles for these studies, respectively. To assess the potential for oral toxicity of vanadium compounds with differing oxidation states under similar test conditions, the 3-month National Toxicology Program (NTP) toxicity studies of sodium metavanadate and vanadyl sulfate were conducted in male and female Sprague Dawley (Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD) rats (including perinatal exposure) and in B6C3F1/N mice. Drinking water concentrations for sodium metavanadate (0, 31.3, 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/L) and vanadyl sulfate (0, 21.0, 41.9, 83.8, 168, and 335 mg/L) were selected on the basis of previously published 14-day drinking water studies conducted as part of the NTP vanadium research program. (Abstract Abridged).

A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Oxidation Catalysis by cis-[VIV(O)(Cl/F)(N4)]+ Species Mimicking the Active Center of Metal-Enzymes.

Reaction of VIVOCl2 with the nonplanar tetradentate N4 bis-quinoline ligands yielded four oxidovanadium(IV) compounds of the general formula cis-[VIV(O)(Cl)(N4)]Cl. Sequential treatment of the two nonmethylated N4 oxidovanadium(IV) compounds with KF and NaClO4 resulted in the isolation of the species with the general formula cis-[VIV(O)(F)(N4)]ClO4. In marked contrast, the methylated N4 oxidovanadium(IV) derivatives are inert toward KF reaction due to steric hindrance, as evidenced by EPR and theoretical calculations. The oxidovanadium(IV) compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, cw EPR spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility. The crystallographic characterization showed that the vanadium compounds have a highly distorted octahedral coordination environment and the d(VIV-F) = 1.834(1) Å is the shortest to be reported for (oxido)(fluorido)vanadium(IV) compounds. The experimental EPR parameters of the VIVO2+ species deviate from the ones calculated by the empirical additivity relationship and can be attributed to the axial donor atom trans to the oxido group and the distorted VIV coordination environment. The vanadium compounds act as catalysts toward alkane oxidation by aqueous H2O2 with moderate ΤΟΝ up to 293 and product yields of up to 29% (based on alkane); the vanadium(IV) is oxidized to vanadium(V), and the ligands remain bound to the vanadium atom during the catalysis, as determined by 51V and 1H NMR spectroscopies. The cw X-band EPR studies proved that the mechanism of the catalytic reaction is through hydroxyl radicals. The chloride substitution reaction in the cis-[VIV(O)(Cl)(N4)]+ species by fluoride and the mechanism of the alkane oxidation were studied by DFT calculations.

Identification of Potential Artefacts in In Vitro Measurement of Vanadium-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production.

We investigated vanadium, i.e., a redox-active heavy metal widely known for the generation of oxidative stress in cultured mammalian cells, to determine its ability to interfere with common oxidative stress-related bioassays in cell-free conditions. We first assessed the prooxidant abilities (H2O2 level, oxidation of DHR 123, and DCFH-DA dyes) and antioxidant capacity (ABTS, RP, OH, and DPPH methods) of popular mammalian cell culture media, i.e., Minimal Essential Medium (MEM), Dulbecco's Minimal Essential Medium (DMEM), Dulbecco's Minimal Essential Medium-F12 (DMEM/F12), and RPMI 1640. Out of the four media studied, DMEM has the highest prooxidant and antioxidant properties, which is associated with the highest concentration of prooxidant and antioxidant nutrients in its formulation. The studied vanadium compounds, vanadyl sulphate (VOSO4), or sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) (100, 500, and 1000 µM), either slightly increased or decreased the level of H2O2 in the studied culture media. However, these changes were in the range of a few micromoles, and they should rather not interfere with the cytotoxic effect of vanadium on cells. However, the tested vanadium compounds significantly stimulated the oxidation of DCFH-DA and DHR123 in a cell-independent manner. The type of the culture media and their pro-oxidant and antioxidant abilities did not affect the intensity of oxidation of these dyes by vanadium, whereas the vanadium compound type was important, as VOSO4 stimulated DCFH-DA and DHR oxidation much more potently than NaVO3. Such interactions of vanadium with these probes may artefactually contribute to the oxidation of these dyes by reactive oxygen species induced by vanadium in cells.

Role of ambient temperature in modulation of behavior of vanadium dioxide volatile memristors and oscillators for neuromorphic applications.

Volatile memristors are versatile devices whose operating mechanism is based on an abrupt and volatile change of resistivity. This switching between high and low resistance states is at the base of cutting edge technological implementations such as neural/synaptic devices or random number generators. A detailed understanding of this operating mechanisms is essential prerequisite to exploit the full potentiality of volatile memristors. In this respect, multi-physics device simulations provide a powerful tool to single out material properties and device features that are the keys to achieve desired behaviors. In this paper, we perform 3D electrothermal simulations of volatile memristors based on vanadium dioxide (VO[Formula: see text]) to accurately investigate the interplay among Joule effect, heat dissipation and the external temperature [Formula: see text] over their resistive switching mechanism. In particular, we extract from our simulations a simplified model for the effect of [Formula: see text] over the negative differential resistance (NDR) region of such devices. The NDR of VO[Formula: see text] devices is pivotal for building VO[Formula: see text] oscillators, which have been recently shown to be essential elements of oscillatory neural networks (ONNs). ONNs are innovative neuromorphic circuits that harness oscillators' phases to compute. Our simulations quantify the impact of [Formula: see text] over figures of merit of VO[Formula: see text] oscillator, such as frequency, voltage amplitude and average power per cycle. Our findings shed light over the interlinked thermal and electrical behavior of VO[Formula: see text] volatile memristors and oscillators, and provide a roadmap for the development of ONN technology.

Enantiopure chiroptical probes for circular dichroism and absorbance based detection of nerve gas simulants.

A series of oxovanadium(V) compounds 1-4 were prepared and explored as stereodynamic chiroptical probes to detect a simulant of sarin known as diethyl chlorophosphate (DCP) without any interference from the competing analytes. Simultaneous CD cum UV/vis based bimodal instant recognition of DCP using optically active probes is unprecedented. Upon fabricating the vanadium compound with a polymer has yielded a chiroptical membrane, which showed a change in its dichroic as well as colorimetric signals on interaction with DCP vapour at 1 ppm. EPR and UV/vis studies revealed an irreversible change of the CD-active V(V) to the CD-silent ternary V(V) species in presence of DCP via a transient V(IV) species. Nucleophilic attack of the alkoxo oxygen of 1-4 to the electrophilic P atom of DCP resulted in the formation of ternary V(V) compounds as confirmed by 51V/31P NMR.

Surfactant-assisted self-assembly of flower-like ultrathin vanadium disulfide nanosheets for enhanced hybrid capacitive deionization.

Increasing the salt adsorption capacity (SAC) and durability of electrode materials for hybrid capacitive deionization (HCDI) remain grand challenges. Herein, highly electro-adsorptive and durable vanadium disulfide (VS2) electrode material obtained by a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method is reported. The distinct three-dimensional flower-like architecture and ultrathin thickness of VS2 nanosheets play a vital role in boosting HCDI performance by exposing a large number of accessible adsorption sites and facilitating the mass transfer of sodium ions. When used in the HCDI system, the flower-like VS2 electrode delivers a high salt adsorption capacity of 72 mg g-1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution at 1.6 V, outperforming the bulk VS2 counterpart with a relatively increased thickness of nanosheets. Moreover, after 10 h of cycling test, the SAC of the flower-like VS2-based HCDI system remains at 93 % of the initial value, showing excellent operation stability. This surfactant-assisted morphology engineering of VS2 nanosheets with ultrathin thickness and unique three-dimensional architecture provides new insight into designing layered electrode materials for efficient HCDI.

Phytotoxicity of VO2 nanoparticles with different sizes to pea seedlings.

Vanadium dioxide nanoparticles (VO2 NPs) have been massively produced due to their excellent metal-insulator transition characteristics for various applications. Pilot studies indicated the toxicity of VO2 NPs to bacteria and mammalian cells, but the environmental hazards of VO2 NPs to plants have been unrevealed to date. In this study, we reported the inhibitive effects of VO2 NPs to the growth and photosynthesis of pea seedlings. Laboratory synthesized monoclinic VO2 NPs (N-VO2), commercial nanosized VO2 NPs (S-VO2), and commercial microsized VO2 particles (M-VO2) were carefully characterized for environmental toxicity evaluations. VO2 particles were supplemented to culture medium for seed germination and seedling growth. All three VO2 samples did not affect the germination rates of pee seeds, while serious growth inhibition of pea seedlings was observed at 10 mg/L for S-VO2 and N-VO2, and 100 mg/L for M-VO2. VO2 particles had no impact on the chlorophyll contents, but the photosynthesis of leaf was significantly decreased following the consequence of N-VO2 > S-VO2 > M-VO2. The inhibition of photosynthesis was attributed to the damage of acceptor side of photosystem II by VO2 particles at high concentrations. Abundant bioaccumulations of vanadium in roots aroused oxidative damage and changed the root structure. Our results collectively indicated that the phytotoxicity of VO2 NPs was related to the concentration, size and crystalline degree.

Vanadium Disulfide Nanosheet Boosts Optical Signal Brightness as a Superior Enzyme Label to Improve the Sensitivity of Lateral Flow Immunoassay.

The color-enzyme lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) has attracted widespread attention to expand the detection range and improve sensitivity via amplifying the color signal after catalyzing the substrate. As a kind of layered transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD), the vanadium disulfide nanosheet (VS2NS) possesses superior peroxidase-like catalytic activity. Here, a VS2NS was applied as an enzyme label in the LFIA to detect 17ß-estradiol (E2). Compared to natural horseradish peroxidase, the VS2NS expresses a more prominent enzyme catalytic performance, stability, and adsorption ability. Under optimal conditions, the calculated limit of detection (cLOD) of the VS2NS-based LFIA is 0.065 ng mL-1 for E2, which is sixfold lower than that of the optimized colloidal nanoparticle-based LFIA (cLOD = 0.406 ng mL-1). Besides, the detection linear range of the VS2NS-based LFIA can be widened by 1.5 times after the catalytic reaction. Moreover, the VS2NS-based LFIA exhibits excellent practicability in real sample detection. Simultaneously, this study helps open up the application of the VS2NS in the trace analysis of LFIAs, which can broaden TMDs' scope of application and better show their properties of color enzymes.

Systemic exposure and urinary excretion of vanadium following perinatal subchronic exposure to vanadyl sulfate and sodium metavanadate via drinking water.

Vanadium is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant although there are limited data to assess potential adverse human health impact following oral exposure. In support of studies investigating the subchronic toxicity of vanadyl sulfate (V4+) and sodium metavanadate (V5+) following perinatal exposure via drinking water in male and female rats, we have determined the internal exposure and urinary excretion of total vanadium at the end of study. Water consumption decreased with increasing exposure concentration following exposure to both compounds. Plasma and urine vanadium concentration normalized to total vanadium consumed per day increased with the exposure concentration of vanadyl sulfate and sodium metavanadate suggesting absorption increased as the exposure concentration increased. Additionally, females had higher concentrations than males (in plasma only for vanadyl sulfate exposure). Animals exposed to sodium metavanadate had up to 3-fold higher vanadium concentration in plasma and urine compared to vanadyl sulfate exposed animals, when normalized to total vanadium consumed per day, demonstrating differential absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties between V5+ and V4+ compounds. These data will aid in the interpretation of animal toxicity data of V4+ and V5+ compounds and determine the relevance of animal toxicity findings to human exposures.

Targeting Breast Cancer and Their Stem Cell Population through AMPK Activation: Novel Insights.

Despite some significant advancements, breast cancer has become the most prevalent cancer in the world. One of the main reasons for failure in treatment and metastasis has been attributed to the presence of cancer initiating cells-cancer stem cells. Consequently, research is now being focussed on targeting cancer cells along with their stem cell population. Non-oncology drugs are gaining increasing attention for their potent anticancer activities. Metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, is the best example in this regard. It exerts its therapeutic action by activating 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Activated AMPK subsequently phosphorylates and targets several cellular pathways involved in cell growth and proliferation and the maintenance of stem-like properties of cancer stem cells. Therefore, AMPK is emerging as a target of choice for developing effective anticancer drugs. Vanadium compounds are well-known PTP inhibitors and AMPK activators. They find extensive applications in treatment of diabetes and obesity via PTP1B inhibition and AMPK-mediated inhibition of adipogenesis. However, their role in targeting cancer stem cells has not been explored yet. This review is an attempt to establish the applications of insulin mimetic vanadium compounds for the treatment of breast cancer by AMPK activation and PTP1B inhibition pathways.

Vanadium pentoxide flat-nanofiber networked thin layer-structure to initiate intercalated polymerization for rapidly producing superior conductive hydrogel and its biomimetic hydrogen peroxide sensing application.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based hydrogel has been studied extensively due to its low cost, good chemical/mechanical stability, printability and high biocompatibility, but still suffers from its relatively low conductivity and complex synthesis method. In this work, we use vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) flat-nanofiber networked thin layer-structure to boost EDOT-intercalation reaction for rapidly producing fiber-reinforced conductive gel (FCG), achieving superior conductivity of 10 S cm-1 and extremely fast production time (10 s). The superior FCG formation mechanism is ascribed to the V2O5 flat-nanofiber networked thin layer-structure allowing EDOT rapidly penetrating to inter-layers and replacing inside water molecules for polymerization to high-conductive FCG. The FCG can be used to print various patterns and are further used to fabricate a flexible biomimetic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor, delivering a high sensitivity of 2100 µA mM-1 cm-2, ranking the best among all flexible enzyme-free H2O2 sensors. More importantly, this flexible biomimetic H2O2 sensor is successfully applied to real-time detect living cells-secreted H2O2, demonstrating its application for in situ monitoring of small biomolecules released from living cells. This work offers a universal approach to synthesize high-conductive printable hydrogels by designing precursors meriting from both physics and chemistry, while holding great promise for mass-manufacturing inexpensive hydrogels in applications of sensing or wearable devices.

Development of economical and highly efficient electrolyte using vanadium pentoxide for vanadium redox flow battery.

Vanadium pentoxide can be an inexpensive replacement to vanadium sulfate in synthesizing vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) electrolytes. In this study, VRFB electrolyte is synthesized from vanadium pentoxide using an indigenously developed process and setup. In order to have the same performance as that of vanadium sulfate, the supporting electrolyte environment constituted by H+ and sulfate ion is replicated based on the calculations from standard synthesis mechanisms. The calculations reveal that 4 M H2SO4 is required while preparing 1.5 M Vn+ electrolyte from V2O5 to replicate 1.5 M Vn+ in 2.5 M H2SO4 from VOSO4. The effect of variation of sulfuric acid concentration is explored using thermal stability testing, which shows stable V(V) electrolytes for more than 30 days for 4 M H2SO4 concentration. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of developed electrolyte from vanadium pentoxide shows similar charge-discharge profile, yet 1/5 the cost as compared to vanadium sulfate.

Vanadium as potential therapeutic agent for COVID-19: A focus on its antiviral, antiinflamatory, and antihyperglycemic effects.

An increasing evidence suggests that vanadium compounds are novel potential drugs in the treatment of diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Vanadium has also demonstrated activities against RNA viruses and is a promising candidate for treating acute respiratory diseases. The antidiabetic, antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, cardioprotective, antineoplastic, antiviral, and other potential effects of vanadium are summarized here. Given the beneficial antihyperglycemic and antiinflammatory effects as well as the potential mechanistic link between the COVID-19 and diabetes, vanadium compounds could be considered as a complement to the prescribed treatment of COVID-19. Thus, further clinical trials are warranted to confirm these favorable effects of vanadium treatment in COVID-19 patients, which appear not to be studied yet.