Interaction of sodium nitrite and sunset yellow and its effect on some biochemical parameters in young albino rats

ABSTRACT

Children usually eat and drink food containing both food preservatives, as sodium nitrite and food colourants, as sunset yellow [S.S.Y] at the same time. The mixture of the two agents at the limited dose of each was found to be lethal. 1/10th of this dose was used daily for 30 days. Animals were divided into three groups. The first served as a control, while the second was orally administered a mixture of sodium nitrite [NaNO3] and S.S.Y. The third received garlic in addition to the above mixture. Half of the animals from each group were decapitated after 30 days of treatment, while the other half was left for another 15 days for recovery. Investigation of the mixture of sod.nitrite and S.S.Y significantly decreases protein and albumin. Significant increases were observed in cholesterol, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase [GGT], alkaline phosphatase [AP], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and creatine phosphokinase [CPK]. No change was observed for Total protein, Triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and acid phosphatase [AcP] recorded