Setyawati, I. A., K. H. Thompson, V. G. Yuen, Y. Sun, M. Battell, D. M. Lyster, C. Vo, T. J. Ruth, S. Zeisler, J. H. McNeill, and C. Orvig. Kinetic analysis and comparison of uptake, distribution, and excretion of ⁴⁸V-labeled compounds in rats. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(2): 569-575, 1998.Vanadium has been found to be orally active in lowering plasma glucose levels; thus it provides a potential treatment for diabetes mellitus. Bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV) is a well-characterized organovanadium compound that has been shown in preliminary studies to have a potentially useful absorption profile. Tissue distributions of BMOV compared with those of vanadyl sulfate (VS) were studied in Wistar rats by using ⁴⁸V as a tracer. In this study, the compounds were administered in carrier-added forms by either oral gavage or intraperitoneal injection. Data analyzed by a compartmental model, by using simulation, analysis, and modeling (i.e., SAAM II) software, showed a pattern of increased tissue uptake with use of ⁴⁸V-BMOV compared with ⁴⁸VS. The highest ⁴⁸V concentrations at 24 h after gavage were in bone, followed by kidney and liver. Most ingested ⁴⁸V was eliminated unabsorbed by fecal excretion. On average, ⁴⁸V concentrations in bone, kidney, and liver 24 h after oral administration of ⁴⁸V-BMOV were two to three times higher than those of ⁴⁸VS, which is consistent with the increased glucose-lowering potency of BMOV in acute glucose lowering compared with VS.