Investigating the protective effects of fullerenol-C60 on kidney and lung tissues in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with cecal sepsis

This study aimed to investigate the effects of sepsis on distant organs, such as the kidneys and lungs, using an experimental diabetic sepsis model, as well as to explore the role of fullerenol-C60 in these effects. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (group C), diabetes (group D), diabetes sepsis (group DS), and diabetes-sepsis-fullerenol-C60 (group DS-FC60). Diabetes was induced in the diabetes groups by intraperitoneal administration of 55 mg/kg streptozotocin. Rats with blood glucose levels above 250 mg/dL at 72 h were considered diabetic. After 4 weeks, all groups underwent laparotomy under anesthesia. Fullerenol-C60 was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 100 mg/kg 30 min after the procedure. The sham group was sacrificed 24 h after abdominal incision. In the diabetes group, the abdomen was closed after the incision, and the rats were sacrificed 24 h later. In the DS and DS-FC60 groups, following the abdominal incision, cecal ligation and puncture were performed, the abdomen was closed, and the rats were sacrificed 24 h later. The left kidneys and lungs of the sacrificed rats from all groups were fixed in formalin for histological examination, while the right lungs and kidneys were stored in nitrogen tubes at - 80 °C for biochemical analysis. Vascular vacuolization and hypertrophy, as well as tubular cell degeneration and necrosis, which were observed in the histological evaluation of the kidneys, were significantly lower in group DS-FC60 than in group DS. Similarly, in the biochemical examination of the kidneys, the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and catalase (CAT) activity were significantly lower in groups DS-FC60 and DS than in group C. In the histological examination of the lungs, neutrophil infiltration/aggregation and the total damage score were significantly lower in group DS-FC60 than in group DS. Significant differences were also observed between groups DS-FC60 and DS in terms of CAT activity and TBARS levels in the biochemical analysis of the lungs. We found that fullerenol-C60, when administered 30 min after sepsis, reduced oxidative stress and improved sepsis-induced damage in the lung and kidney tissues of rats with diabetes mellitus. Our results suggest that fullerenol-C60 administered after sepsis provides protective effects on distant organs.