Abstract
Oxidative stress is involved in a wide variety of pathologies, and fullerene has been shown to have an antioxidant ability. Mycotoxins exert toxic effects through induction of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we evaluated water-soluble fullerene C60 for its anti-mycotoxin and antioxidant effects in vitro and in vivo. Intestinal epithelial cells were cultured with fullerene during deoxynivalenol (DON) exposure. The results revealed that fullerene C60 significantly promoted cell viability, decreased apoptosis and necrotic cell number, and significantly reduced intracellular ROS levels during DON exposure (p < 0.05). To investigate the role of fullerene in antioxidant capacity in vivo further, 40 three-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups. There were no significant differences between the control and fullerene groups (p > 0.05). In mice exposed to DON, supplementation with fullerene C60 significantly improved growth performance, and enhanced the total antioxidant status and the activities of SOD and GPX in the intestine and liver (p < 0.05). In addition, fullerene C60 supplementation improved intestinal morphology, as indicated by a higher villus height and tight junction protein expression (p < 0.05). Furthermore, fullerene supplementation decreased serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokine and lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a penetrability marker) compared to the DON-challenged group (p < 0.05). The current study suggests that fullerene C60 improves intestinal antioxidant status against DON-induced oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo.
Highlights
The use of fullerene C60, as a new therapeutic approach, is being intensely developed by exploring cellular signaling pathways
Previous research has found that fullerene C60 binds to and activates the hippocampal Ca2+ signaling protein (CaMKIIα) to increase learning and memory [8]
Excess free radicals and oxidative stress are generally known to be detrimental to human health [11], and several diseases have been associated with increased levels of oxidative stress, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory disorders, and asthma [6,12,13]
Summary
The use of fullerene C60, as a new therapeutic approach, is being intensely developed by exploring cellular signaling pathways. Previous research has found that fullerene C60 binds to and activates the hippocampal Ca2+ signaling protein (CaMKIIα) to increase learning and memory [8]. The use of fullerene C60 for tumor treatment has been reported, where it enhances the antitumor effect by mediating CaMKIIα activity [6]. Several other studies have documented remarkable antitumor effects of fullerenes via a variety of mechanisms involving immunomodulation, autophagy modulation, and oxidative stress [5,9,10]. It has been reported that fullerene-C60-treated rats have high resistance to CCl4, the toxicity of which is mediated by ROS production [16]. Studies have shown that another mechanism of fullerene oxidation resistance is based on the mild decoupling of the respiratory chain and phosphorylation in the mitochondrial inner membrane [14]
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