Misuse of dexamethasone for cosmetic purposes boosts hyperthyroidism and hepatotoxicity in albino rats

Abstract

Background. The use of dexamethasone (Dex) for cosmetic purposes, particularly for skin lighting, is widespread and is associated with a high incidence of skin cancer in several populations. Objective. This study aimed to investigate the misuse of dex for skin whitening, particularly its influence on thyroid, liver, and kidney function in female albino rats. Methods. This study included 36 female albino rats weighing 140–162 g divided into two experiments of three groups each. Experiment 1: Group I received a placebo. Groups II and III were administered low and high doses of dex (8.3µg/kg/day and 24.9µg/kg/day) for 30 days. Experiment 2: Groups were treated with the same doses for 60 days. Thyroid function, liver enzyme activity, and renal function were measured using ELISA. Liver and kidney sections were fixed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Results. Groups treated with high and low doses of dex showed a significant increase in T3, T4, AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, creatinine, and urea levels than the control. In contrast, TSH levels were significantly decreased compared to those in the control (P <0.05). The kidney sections showed ghost glomeruli and partially necrotic tubular cells with chronic inflammation following both doses, and the liver revealed binucleated cells, infiltration, and focal necrotic cells compared with the control. Conclusion.The misuse of dex for cosmetic purposes influences hyperthyroidism, hepatotoxicity, and renal impairment with dose- and duration-dependent.