#1 Element: Vanadium

In my Biological Inorganic Chemistry class, we were assigned an element and asked to find three biological uses for the given element. The element I was assigned is vanadium and its role/uses in biological functions is still somewhat unclear. Vanadium is widely know for its toxicity, so only traces of it are found in the human body. Though unclear exactly how vanadium works in the human body, these traces of vanadium are connected to the thyroid and glucose and lipid metabolism, and a deficiency of vanadium causes a malfunction of these biological pathways. The most promising medical use for vanadium is its use in the treating of diabetes (aka "the sugar"). Vanadium is useful in this field because it has properties that mimic insulin, but not all of the effects of vanadium are positive, such as it blocking many essential enzymes, and this is why it is not used in products on the market. There is also a possibility that vanadium complexes could be used to treat tumors or parasites, but there is still much research and testing to be done before vanadium will be used to treat such things. While vanadium shows some promise for biological/medical uses, there are still too many uncertainties on its effects on the human body.

-The High School Chemist
Sources
-http://www.scitopics.com/Vanadium_Biochemistry_Toxicology_and_Pharmacology.html
-http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TCR-4BWYSB8-1&_user=10&_coverDate=04%2F21%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1621022979&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=110286a61342394abc5768e8b007c2bf&searchtype=a
-http://www.diabetesnet.com/vanad.php#axzz1CBFn2fl4