Preliminary investigation of organ-protective effects of fullerenol in vivo in acute toxicity during doxorubicin therapy in healthy pigs

Abstract

Objectives The potential protective effect of fullerenol C60(OH)24, a strong antioxidant, was investigated at a single dose of 25 mg/kg, administered orally (per os; p.o.) and intraperitoneally (i.p.), in the liver, lung, kidney, heart, and spleen of healthy pigs, prior to doxorubicin-induced toxicity at a single i.p. dose of 10 mg/kg. Methods We used the F1 generation of an in vivo pig model (whose parents were Swedish Landrace and Large Yorkshire), to explore whether fullerenol, administered 6 h for p.o. and 30 min for i.p. prior to doxorubicin treatment, could protect organs against damage caused by oxidative stress. Key findings According to the macroscopic, hematological, biochemical, and physiological results, fullerenol exerted a potential protective effect on all investigated organs (heart, liver, lung, spleen, and kidney) in pigs after i.p. administration. However, the results from fullerenol p.o. administration were inconclusive, therefore warranting further investigation. Conclusions Fullerenol at a low dose of 25 mg/kg demonstrated satisfactory organ protection against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in healthy pigs after i.p. injection, However, additional follow-up studies in pig models of cancer and with longer doxorubicin and fullerenol treatment periods would be required to further delineate the optimal and clinically-relevant conditions for fullerenol administration.