Background & Aims: According to the recent studies, fullerene nanoparticles have a potent scavenging property for free radicals in biological environments. Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a fundamental mechanism of brain damage in stroke, we aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of fullerene nanoparticles on ischemia-induced brain injuries in experimental model of stroke.
Materials & Methods: Experiment was performed in three groups of rats (N=28): Sham, Control ischemia, and Ischemic treatment. Ischemia was induced by 90 min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 hours reperfusion. Rats received fullerene (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) 60 min before induction of MCAO. Cortical and striatal infarction (TTC staining), and histopathological alterations were assessed 24 hours after termination of MCAO.
Results: MCAO induced brain infarction in cortical (307±16 mm3) and striatal (115±21 mm3) areas concomitant increase the histopathological damages. Administration of fullerene significantly reduced the infarction in cortical (166±15 mm3) and striatal (54±7 mm3) areas 45% and 53%, respectively. Also, fullerene decreased the mortality rate of ischemic treated rats (33.33%) compared to ischemic non-treated rats (9.09%) in accompany with the reduction of histopathological damages.
Conclusion: It is concluded that fullerene nanoparticles, as a potent antioxidant factor, effectively reduce ischemia-induced brain damage and prevent neurodegeneration possibly through scavenging property of free radicals.
SOURCE: URMIA MED J 2016: 27(8): 682 ISSN: 1027-3727
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