Abstract

Tartrazine is a colorant widely used in food products, drugs and cosmetics. The current study evaluates the effect of sub-chronic ingestion of Tartrazine in drinking water at doses of 0, 0.1, 0.45, 1, and 2.5% for 13 weeks in mice. Ours results show that female body weight gain and food consumption decreased in all treated groups, while fluid consumption increased. The red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit were increased in male 2.5% treated groups and the white blood cell count decreased in all treated groups. In both sexes of the 2.5% doses groups, total proteins, albumin, creatinine, urea, uric acid, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and transaminases were higher. Histological examinations showed brain, liver and kidney damages in animals treated with 1 and 2.5% doses. We concluded that at doses of 1 and 2.5% in drinking water, Tartrazine induces weight depression and adverse effects on brain, liver and kidney.

Key words: Tartrazine, subchronic toxicity, hematology, biochemical parameters, histology.

Abbreviation

ADI, Acceptable daily intake; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; γ-GT, γ-glutamyl transferase;Ht, hematocrit; Hb, hemoglobin; MCH, mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; MCV, mean corpuscular volume; RBC, red blood cell count; TB, total bilirubin; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; TP, total proteins; WBC, white blood cell count.