C60 Fullerene Promotes Restoration of Kidney Function After Chronic Glyphosate Intoxication

Abstract

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in modern agriculture. Toxicological studies have demonstrated that chronic glyphosate exposure is associated with the development of systemic disorders, particularly renal injury. Therefore, the search for effective therapeutic approaches to mitigate glyphosate-induced kidney dysfunction remains an important challenge in contemporary biomedicine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of C60 fullerenes, as potent antioxidants, on the recovery of renal function following chronic glyphosate intoxication. The experiment was conducted on male Wistar rats that received glyphosate orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight daily for 16 weeks. Following the cessation of glyphosate exposure, animals in the experimental group were treated with a C60 fullerene aqueous solution (C60FAS) at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight daily for two weeks. The animals exhibited elevated blood creatinine and urea concentrations, a reduced glomerular filtration rate, increased fractional excretion of sodium, an electrolyte imbalance, and enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase after chronic glyphosate exposure. Therapeutic administration of C60FAS contributed to an average improvement of 20 ± 2% in the investigated biochemical parameters at the end of the experiment, which is consistent with the findings of the histological analysis of kidney tissue. These results demonstrate the pronounced therapeutic effect of C60 fullerenes, attributable to their ability to attenuate oxidative stress and promote the recovery of the filtration, tubular, and metabolic functions of the kidneys following chronic glyphosate intoxication.