Impacts of fullerene C and virgin olive oil on cadmium-induced genotoxicity in rats.

Currently, cadmium is considered to be one of the major environmental pollutants. Environmentally, cadmium is released in various forms e.g. oxide, chloride and sulphide. The aim of the present study was to examine the genotoxic impact of fullerene nanoparticles C (C) and virgin olive oil (VOO) on cadmium chloride (CdCl)-induced genotoxicity in rats. To evaluate these effects on DNA damage and chromosomal frequency, 25 albino rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n=5 per group): Group 1 served as a control; Group 2 received a single intraperitoneal dose of CdCl (3.5mg/kg); Group 3 animals were treated with C (4mg/kg, orally) every other day for 20days; Group 4 received a single intraperitoneal dose of CdCl (3.5mg/kg) and an oral dose of C (4mg/kg); and Group 5 received a single intraperitoneal dose of CdCl (3.5mg/kg) and oral doses of VOO every other day for 20 consecutive days. Genotoxic and anti-genotoxic effects of C and VOO were evaluated in the liver, kidney and bone marrow using molecular and cytogenetic assays. As expected, CdCl and C administration was associated with band number alterations in both liver and kidney; however, C pretreatment recovered to approximately basal number. Surprisingly, C and VOO significantly attenuated the genotoxic effects caused by CdCl in livers and kidneys. In bone marrow, in addition to a reduction in the chromosomal number, several chromosomal aberrations were caused by CdCl. These chromosomal alterations were also reversed by C and VOO. In conclusion, molecular and cytogenetic studies showed that C and VOO exhibit anti-genotoxic agents against CdCl-induced genotoxicity in rats. Further studies are needed to investigate the optimal conditions for potential biomedical applications of these anti-genotoxic agents.