Impact of Mesotherapy with Sodium Deoxycholate on Liver: Metabolic- and Sex-Specific Insights in Swiss mice

Abstract

Background: Sodium deoxycholate (DC) is often used in mesotherapy for the aesthetic improvement of body contouring. Although it is a minimally invasive procedure, DC use is off-label since, to date, it is approved solely for submental fat reduction, lacking evidence to support its safety to other body regions. Objective: To investigate the systemic and hepatic effects of the prolonged use of DC in mesotherapy for fat reduction in Swiss mice under fructose consumption. Methods: Female and male Swiss mice received water or 20% fructose (F) ad libitum for 12 weeks. DC 50 μg sc. was administered into the right inguinal white adipose tissue (riWAT) twice weekly for 4 weeks starting week 8. We assessed body weight (BW), glucose, lipolysis, hepatic enzymes, adipose tissue remodeling, liver histopathology, and protein expression. Results: Chronic DC did not affect BW, glucose, lipolysis, and hepatic enzymes, except for ALT in males. Although the riWAT weight remained stable, we found foam cells, tissue hemorrhage, and fibrosis. DC induced neither hepatomegaly nor hepatocyte hypertrophy in either sex except for fructose in females, which led to heavier livers and increased hepatocyte nuclei volume. Mild fat deposition was present in fructose-fed female mice, with no influence of DC injections. Finally, FXR and FGF21 protein expression were similar among the groups. Conclusion: DC had no impact on BW or adipose tissue mass, although there were features of chronic riWAT inflammation. It failed to impair glucose and hepatic metabolism, morphology, and protein expression in both sexes.