Abstract
Food additive azo dyes are toxic substances added to food to enhance taste or appearance. Synthetic dyes are widely used in the color of some products such as jelly, sweets, or medicines. Tartrazine (E102) is one of the synthetic dyes used in food coloring. World health organization (WHO) recommended the acceptable daily intake of this dye is (7.5 mg/kg) body weight. In the human body, the microorganism can degrade these substances to intermediate compounds that can be more toxic in case of increasing these substances in the human body. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the human intestinal microflorae which is able to degrade tartrazine. Decolorization assays by spectroscopy and chromatography analysis confirmed that P. aeruginosa can degrade tartrazine to toxic products such as Sodium 2-amino benzenesulfonate (195.15) m/z. This study discussed the effect of tartrazine and its degradation products on liver and kidney tissues. Twenty-eight female albino rats were examined by injecting them with this dye for two months. We divided the Rats into four groups each one received different treatment. Results showed a significant decrease in the body weight of rats in the control group in G2, G3, and G4. Physiological analysis of kidney and liver parameters including AST, ALT, and ALP, were markedly elevated in rats of all treated groups. Histological examination of liver tissues indicated hepatic changes in all tested groups as compared with the control group. Treatment with tartrazine and its products led to mild hepatocytes lesions. Histopathological analysis of the kidney tissues revealed an average renal capsule and other interstitial tissues in the control group, other groups received different doses of tartrazine, revealed that blood vessels appeared mildly congested with interstitial inflammatory infiltrate.