Prolonged use of the food dye tartrazine (FD&C yellow n° 5) and its effects on the gastric mucosa of Wistar rats

Tartrazine is one of the most widely used artificial foods, drugs and cosmetic dyes. It is a nitrous derivative and is known to cause allergic reactions such as asthma and urticaria, as well as having been the focus of studies on mutagenesis and carcinogenesis due to its transformation into aromatic amine sulfanilic acid after being metabolized by the gastrointestinal microflora. 45 male Wistar rats were assigned to a control group (A) or a treatment one (B). The treatment group received 7.5 mg.kg-1.day-1 of tartrazine daily in drinking water offered ad libitum for ten months from weaning to the age of twelve months. There was a significant increase in the number of lymphocytes and eosinophils of the gastric antrum mucosa. No carcinogenetic changes in any gastric area were observed during the study. As tartrazine belongs to the azo class, it is still a possible food carcinogen. Other studies with different doses and schedules, observing their effects associated to other carcinogens should be carried out if their safe use is to be recommended.

O corante artificial tartrazina é um dos mais usados em todo o mundo para corar alimentos, medicamentos e cosméticos. É um derivado nitroso, sabidamente causador de reações alérgicas como asma e urticária, e tem sido alvo de estudos de mutagênese e carcinogênese por produzir a amina aromática ácido sulfanílico após ser metabolizado pela microflora gastrintestinal. Foram estudados 45 ratos Wistar, machos, divididos em grupo controle (A) e tratado (B). O grupo tratado recebeu o corante diariamente em água de beber ad libitum, na dose de 7,5 mg.kg-1.dia-1 por dez meses, do desmame aos doze meses de idade. Houve aumento significante do número de linfócitos e eosinófilos na mucosa do antro gástrico. Não foram observadas alterações carcinogênicas em nenhuma das regiões gástricas com a dose e o tempo utilizados. O corante tartrazina permanece entre os possíveis carcinógenos alimentares por ser da classe azo, devendo ter prosseguimento seus estudos; variando-se a dose e o tempo de administração e verificando-se seus efeitos quando associado a outros carcinógenos, para seu uso continuar sendo recomendado com segurança.

Protein and liver enzyme changes in serum as affected by food color additive tartrazine

The effect of food color additive-tartrazine on soluble proteins content, transaminases [ALT and AST] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP] activity in serum male albino rats were studied. Results obtained revealed that levels of serum soluble proteins content was increased insignificantly due to the increase in tartrazine dose. Also, serum transaminases and alkaline phosphatase activities were increased significantly due to tartrazine administration. In addition, the increase in the administration time showed insignificant increase in transaminases, but no change in serum soluble proteins levels and alkaline phosphatase activity was occurred