Al-Saleh Iman, Shinwari Neptune, El-Doush Inaam, Billedo Grisellhi, Al-Amodi Mona, Khogali Fathia
Biological & Medical Research Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, PO Box 3354, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Biometals. 2004 Apr;17(2):167-75. doi: 10.1023/b:biom.0000018377.17857.88.
The use of mercury containing skin-lightening creams are becoming increasingly popular among dark-skinned women. The long-term use of certain brands may cause serious health effects over the years. In the present study, we investigated the dermal absorption of mercury and its accumulation in the tissues of albino and pigmented mice treated with two brands of mercury containing skin-lightening creams for a period of one months at different intervals. The mean +/- SD of mercury in the selected brands were: (1) Fair & Lovely (0.304 +/- 0.316 microg/g); and (2) Rose (77513.0 +/- 71063.0 microg/g). Mercury levels were measured in a total of 133 and 144 liver, kidney and brain tissue samples of albino and pigmented mice respectively by the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer coupled to Vapour Generator Accessory. In both strains, we found that the mercury concentration in the tissues of mice treated with Rose skin-lightening cream samples was significantly higher than those treated with Fair & Lovely skin lightening cream. Looking at the mercury concentration in the tissue samples with respect to the application of skin lightening creams at different intervals, the highest mercury concentrations were found in the tissues of albino and pigmented mice treated three times a day. On the other hand, the lowest mercury concentrations were found in the tissues of mice treated once a week. Despite the brand of skin-lightening cream that was applied, the study indicated that mercury was readily absorbed through the skin of both albino and pigmented mice as evidenced with its accumulation in the brain, kidney and liver tissues where the kidney had the highest mercury content and brain had the lowest (it P < 0.0001). Significant differences in the mercury levels were observed between the albino and pigmented mice. This emphasizes the protective role of melanin against mercury toxicity. Results of this study stresses the potential harm of these mercury containing skin-lightening creams regardless of their mercury contents especially for women who apply these creams frequently or for extended periods. Permanent nephrological or/and neurological deficits may occur if the damage is severe and diagnosis and treatment are delayed.
含汞美白面霜在深色皮肤女性中越来越受欢迎。长期使用某些品牌的含汞美白面霜可能会在多年后对健康造成严重影响。在本研究中，我们调查了用两种含汞美白面霜分别以不同间隔处理一个月的白化病小鼠和有色小鼠皮肤对汞的吸收及其在组织中的积累情况。所选品牌中汞的平均值±标准差分别为：（1）白皙丽人（0.304±0.316微克/克）；（2）玫瑰（77513.0±71063.0微克/克）。分别用配备蒸汽发生器附件的原子吸收分光光度计测量了133份白化病小鼠和144份有色小鼠的肝脏、肾脏和脑组织样本中的汞含量。在两个品系中，我们发现用玫瑰美白面霜样本处理的小鼠组织中的汞浓度显著高于用白皙丽人美白面霜处理的小鼠。观察不同间隔使用美白面霜后组织样本中的汞浓度，发现每天处理三次的白化病小鼠和有色小鼠组织中的汞浓度最高。另一方面，每周处理一次的小鼠组织中的汞浓度最低。尽管使用了不同品牌的美白面霜，但研究表明，汞很容易通过白化病小鼠和有色小鼠的皮肤吸收，这在其在脑、肾和肝组织中的积累中得到了证明，其中肾脏中的汞含量最高，大脑中的汞含量最低（P<0.0001）。在白化病小鼠和有色小鼠之间观察到汞水平存在显著差异。这强调了黑色素对汞毒性的保护作用。本研究结果强调了这些含汞美白面霜的潜在危害，无论其汞含量如何，尤其是对于经常或长期使用这些面霜的女性。如果损伤严重且诊断和治疗延迟，可能会出现永久性肾脏或/和神经功能缺损。
