Evaluation of the genotoxicity of the food dye tartrazine in a micronucleus test in vivo

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Abstract

Introduction. Food azo dye Tartrazine (E102) is widely used in the production of food, pharmacological and cosmetic products. Despite the approval for use, interest in a comprehensive assessment of the impact of food colours, especially synthetic ones, on health continues unabated. The analysis of literature evaluating the genotoxicity of Tartrazine in vivo studies revealed some inconsistencies in the results, that showed the possibility to test a retail food colouring in one of recommended tests.

Materials and methods. The Tartrazine genotoxicity (produced in India, purity 88.37%) was studied in the micronucleus test on male mouse bone marrow cells (hybrids F1 CBA x C57Bl6/j). The test substance was double enteral administrated in the dose range 250–2000 mg/kg. The frequency of polychromatophilic erythrocytes (PCEs) with micronuclei (MNs) was estimated by the analysis of 4000 PCEs. The proportion of PCE among all erythrocytes was determined by analyzing 1000 cells per animal.

Results. There was no increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatophilic erythrocytes over a concurrent negative control with double enteral administration of Tartrazine in all doses studied. The proportion of PCEs among all erythrocytes did not change.

Limitations of the study are due to the methodology of the test: only cytogenetic disorders in a single tissue were analyzed under conditions of double enteral administration of the studied sample.

Conclusion. The sample of the food dye Tartrazine (E 102) in the dose range of 250-2000 mg/kg did not show cytogenetic activity in the in vivo micronucleus test on mouse bone marrow cells after a double enteral administration.

Compliance with ethical standards: the study was approved by the local ethical committee of the Research Institute of EDiTO Federal State Budgetary Institution «N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology»» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, carried out under the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experiments or Other Scientific Purposes (ETS No. 123), Directive of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union 2010/63/EU of 22.09.2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.

Contribution:
Akhaltseva L.V. — cytome analysis, search for literature sources, analysis of literature, writing a text;
Yurchenko V.V. — concept and design of the study, work with animals, preparation of preparations for cytome analysis, statistical analysis, analysis of literature, writing a text;
Yurtseva N.A. — work with animals, preparation of preparations for cytome analysis, cytome analysis, search for literature sources;
Konyashkina M.A. — work with animals, preparation of preparations for cytome analysis, search for literature sources, analysis of literature.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version. 

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment. The work was carried out within the framework of the state task «Complex system for assessing the genotoxicity of food additives» Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia.

Received: February 21, 2022 / Accepted: June 08, 2022 / Published: July 31, 2022

About the authors

Lyudmila V. Akhaltseva

Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: lahalceva@cspmz.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3619-3858

MD, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Department of Preventive Toxicology and Biomedical Research in the Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia, Moscow, 119121, Russian Federation.

e-mail: LAhalceva@cspmz.ru

Russian Federation

Valentina V. Yurchenko

Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia

Email: noemail@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4377-245X
Russian Federation

Nadezda A. Yurtseva

Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia

Email: noemail@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5031-2916
Russian Federation

Mariya A. Konyashkina

Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia

Email: noemail@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8319-1329
Russian Federation

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