Background: This study examined the histological effects of methotrexate-induced oxidative stress related response on mouse skin and the possible protective role of thiamine. Methotrexate (MTX) produced clear cutaneous injury, most notably a reduction in blood vessels, an increase in mast cells, and an increase in melanophores, indicating vascular compromise and inflammatory activation in the skin. Objectives: These changes suggest that MTX disrupted normal skin architecture and promoted an oxidative stress-related tissue response.
Methods: For the study, 36 male mice were randomly divided into 6 equal groups. The first healthy control group received normal saline intraperitoneally (IP), the second MTX group received MTX 10 mg/kg/ day, IP, the third control positive group received vitamin B1 100 mg/kg/ day, IP, and groups 4, 5, and 6 received MTX + VitB1 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day, IP, respectively. Thirty-six days after the start of treatment, skin tissue samples were taken by euthanizing the mice and used histological examination. All data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and a Bonferroni post-hoc test.
Results: Thiamine showed a protective effect, especially at the medium and high doses. In the vitamin-treated groups, the number of blood vessels gradually increased compared with the MTX group, while mast cell counts did not differ significantly among the thiamine-treated experimental groups, suggesting partial restoration of tissue stability. Melanophore numbers were also altered across groups, supporting the idea that MTX affected skin pigmentation-related cells and that thiamine modulated this response.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that methotrexate causes significant histological alterations in mouse skin, whereas thiamine may help reduce some of these changes and preserve tissue integrity. The results support the potential use of thiamine as a protective adjunct against methotrexate-associated cutaneous oxidative damage.