Potential Toxic Effects of Different High Doses of Glutathione Injection: An Experimental Study

Background: Glutathione injections for skin whitening have been widely used recently in capricious dosing regimens with no scientific evidence.The overall safety data on injectable glutathione are scarce.Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential toxic doses of injected glutathione, the possibility of inducing different organ dysfunction, and the recovery pattern if it occurs.Methods: Glutathione was injected intramuscularly into rats in two different high doses, 124mg/kg and 248mg/kg (G II& III), twice per week for 13 weeks with the control group (G I) in which rats did not receive the drug.Rats were sacrificed 1 hour, 1 week and 2 weeks after the last administered dose.The liver, kidneys, and heart underwent histopathological and biochemical analysis.Results: The results revealed that at a dose of 124 mg/kg, no toxic effect was shown on the liver, kidney, or heart.However, doubling the dose to 248mg/kg caused a toxic impact on the liver, which recovered 2 weeks after the last dose, and the kidney, with no recovery observed.No affection on the heart.Conclusions: Glutathione injection is proven to have a potentially toxic effect when given at a dose of 248 mg/ kg twice / week for 13 weeks in rats.So, the drug dose must be adjusted for its possible toxicity.