The oxo-vanadium(IV) complex VO(oda)(H2O)2 (1) (oda=oxydiacetate, O(CH2COO-)2) was obtained by reaction of aerobic aqueous solutions of VO(acac)2 with oxydiacetic acid, O(CH2COOH)2. The antiapoptotic biological activity of 1 was studied in insulin-producing cells. Chemically generated nitric oxide (NO) triggers apoptotic events, such as the appearance of oligonucleosomes in cytosol, and this response was prevented by the presence of 1 in the culture medium. The molecular structure of 1 has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A.