Functionalized fullerene materials (fullerol nanoparticles) reduce brain injuries during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rat

Abstract

Aim: Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Since water-soluble<br />fullerene derivatives act as the potent scavenger of oxygen free radicals in biological systems, we aimed<br />to investigate the possible protective effects of fullerol nanoparticles on brain infarction and edema in<br />transient model of focal cerebral ischemia in rat.<br />Materials & Methods: Experiment was performed by three groups of rats (each group; n=8): sham,<br />control ischemia (IR) and ischemia treated rats with fullerol. Brain ischemia was induced by 90 min<br />middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 hours reperfusion. Treated rats received<br />fullerol at dose of 1 mg/kg 30 min before induction of MCAO. The brains were processed for histochemical<br />triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and quantitation of the ischemic infarct. Finally, the<br />brain hemispheres were weighed as an index of brain edema.<br />Results: MCAO induced brain infarction in large areas of cortex (261± 23 mm3) and subcortex (138±<br />23 mm3). Treatment with fullerol significantly reduced the infarct volume both in cortex and subcortex<br />by 64.75% and 52.17%, respectively. Induction of MCAO significantly increased the weights of right<br />hemispheres in IR group (0.77± 0.01 g) compared with sham rats (0.59± 0.01 g). Treatment with<br />fullerol decreased the weights of ischemic hemispheres in IR treated group (0.69± 0.03 g) compared to<br />IR non-treated rats.<br />Conclusion: Our findings indicate that fullerol nanoparticles are able to reduce the ischemia-induced<br />brain injury and edema possibly through their scavenging properties.