Effects of fullerenol C₆₀ on the liver, heart and brain tissues of streptozotocin‑induced diabetic rats with sepsis

In the present study, the protective effects of fullerenol C₆₀, a nanomaterial with antioxidant properties, were investigated against sepsis‑induced multiple organ failure in liver, heart and brain tissues using a sepsis model [cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)] in diabetic rats. A total of 30 Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups: Control, diabetic control, diabetes + sepsis (DM/SEP) and diabetes + sepsis + fullerenol C₆₀ (FUL/C‑60). Streptozotocin was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 55 mg/kg to induce diabetes in the rats; those with blood sugar levels >250 mg/dl 72 h after injection were considered diabetic. After 4 weeks, only laparotomy was performed in the control and diabetic control groups. CLP was applied to the DM/SEP and FUL/C‑60 groups to establish a sepsis model. After laparotomy, the abdomens of the rats were closed. In the FUL/C‑60 group, 100 mg/kg fullerenol C₆₀ was administered intraperitoneally 30 min after the procedure. All rats were sacrificed 24 h later and blood and tissue samples from the brain, liver and heart were taken for histopathological and biochemical examination. The data distribution was analyzed using the Shapiro‑Wilk test. Data were evaluated using the Kruskal‑Wallis test followed by Dunn's post hoc test or one‑way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Fullerenol C₆₀ markedly reduced sepsis‑induced tissue damage in the liver, heart and brain. Histopathological evaluation demonstrated significantly less hepatocyte degeneration (P=0.042), necrosis (P=0.040) and sinusoidal dilatation (P=0.013) in liver tissue; reduced interstitial fibrosis (P=0.040) in heart tissue; and decreased inflammatory cellularity (P=0.034) in brain tissue in the FUL/C‑60 group compared with the DM/SEP group. Biochemically, fullerenol C₆₀ significantly attenuated oxidative stress in liver and brain tissues, as indicated by lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels (both, P<0.001) and higher catalase activity (P=0.034 and P=0.009, respectively) in the FUL/C‑60 group. Consistent with these findings, liver function was substantially improved, as evidenced by reduced serum aspartate transaminase (P<0.001), alanine transaminase (P<0.001) and γ‑glutamyl transferase (P=0.008) levels, as well as lower total (P<0.001) and direct bilirubin (P<0.001) levels. Overall, fullerenol C₆₀ effectively reduced organ damage by suppressing oxidative stress. Fullerenol C₆₀ demonstrated protective effects against multiple organ failure in a diabetic sepsis model, indicating its potential as a supportive agent in sepsis treatment.