Protective effect of green synthesized nanoceria on retinal oxidative stress and inflammation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat

Oxidative stress has been identified as a significant contributing factor in developing retinal degeneration and subsequent vision loss. Hence, compounds possessing antioxidant characteristics significantly mitigate the detrimental impacts exerted on the neurological system by reactive oxygen species and free radicals. This experimental investigation assessed the neuroprotective effectiveness of rutin-mediated cerium oxide nanoparticles (R-CeO₂NPs) in a diabetic retinopathy animal model. In this study, the synthesis of R-CeO₂NPs was accomplished using rutin via a straightforward green chemistry method. The findings derived from utilizing UV–visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Zetasizer techniques provided evidence of the nanoscale characteristics of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The XRD data provide evidence for the crystallization of R-CeO₂NPs in a face-centered fluorite cubic system with the Fm3m space group. Specifically, we sought to determine whether nanoceria retains its neuroprotective properties when administered after the onset of retinal degeneration. The biological evaluations showed that the synthesized R-CeO₂NPs are biocompatible and exhibited potent antioxidant activities. Animal studies revealed that the administration of the synthesized R-CeO₂NPs indicated a protective effect on retinal oxidative stress and inflammation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. These findings indicate that the green synthesized CeO₂NPs can be applied as protective agent against diabetic retinopathy.