EFFECT OF FULLERENE NANOPARTICLES ON BRAIN INFARCTION AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES DURING TRANSIENT AND FOCAL CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA IN RAT

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 nontreated
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