Abstract
Abstract Background Hair dye is commonly used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Poisoning occurs when someone swallows dye or tint used to color hair and is considered one of the most significant causes of intentional self-harm. Commercial hair dye may contain varying amounts of paraphenylenediamine and even undeclared chemical ingredients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the organ toxicity of commercial hair dye in rats. Acute toxicity study The commercial hair dye X was orally administered to the rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg and was observed for 24 h for mortality or behavioral changes. Sub-chronic toxicity The commercial hair dye X was administered to rats orally for 8 days in doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, then the heart, liver, kidney, and testis were dissected out of the animals and kept in formalin for histopathological examinations using H-E stain. Results In this study, the commercial hair dye X at the dose of 50 mg/kg single dose has not shown any mortality in rats. On the other hand, the commercial hair dye X administered to rats orally for 8 days at doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg caused toxicological effects manifested by some histopathological changes in the heart, liver, kidney, and testis in rats compared to the control group. Conclusion The current study showed that the commercial hair dye X at doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg produced toxic effects on the heart, liver, kidney, and testis in rats. Therefore, it is important to raise the public awareness about the potential toxicity of the hair dyes.