DANA IORDACHESCU*, DIANA DINU*, ADELA BONOIU*, GABRIELA BUCATA*, RALUCA CIUBAR*, CRISTINA HOMEGHIU*, CRISTINA IANCU*, CRISTINA STAN*, S. NAE **

*Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 93–95 Spl. Independentei, Bucharest, Romania
**Clinical Hospital for Plastic and Repairing Surgery, Bucharest, Romania

Abstract. Occupational and environmental exposure to vanadium dusts is an increasing problem because it may cause irritation of the skin and of the respiratory tract. The present study was performed to determine the effects of sodium orthovanadate on human skin fibroblasts. The cells treated with vanadate showed clear morphological changes. Our results suggest that vanadate has different effects exposure level-dependent. Low concentrations of vanadate have a mitogenic effect, in a maximum extent at 100 mM, acting as growth factor like insulin. In contrast, in high concentration vanadate caused significant decreases in cell viability and proliferation suggesting that cytotoxicity is due to reactive oxygen species formed.

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