Introduction: Tartrazine (E102), a synthetic azo dye, is commonly used in many foods, various types of medications, and cosmetic products. We aimed to investigate the effect of Tartrazine on neural tube development in the early stage of chicken embryos.
Methods: A total of 60 fertilized specific pathogen-free chicken eggs were divided into 3 equal groups. After 30 hours of incubation, the eggs except for the Group A (control group), were opened under 4x optical magnification. Group B was administered physiological saline and Group C was administered Tartrazine (7.5mg/kg), at a volume of 20µL by the in ovo method. Incubation was continued till the end of the 72nd hour, then all embryos were removed from the eggs (Figure 1) and histopathologically examined.
Results: Of the 60 embryos incubated, normal development and the closed neural tubes (Figure 2) were shown in all embryos in Group A, 17 in Group B, and 4 in Group C. 3 embryos in group B and 16 embryos in Group C had open neural tubes (Figure 3). A neural tube closure defect was found significantly higher in group C than in Group B (p<0.01).
Conclusions: Based on our data, Tartrazine as one of the widely used food coloring agent, was seen to cause a neural tube defect in the chicken embyro model.
Patient Care: Based on our research results, the risk of impaired neural tube development due to tartrazine use can be prevented by limiting its use in pregnancy.
Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: 1) Learn the early chicken embryo model 2) Learn teratogenic effect of Tartrazine on neural tube development , 3) Identify the potential risk by its consumption during pregnancy, 4)Discuss, in small groups, on further research studies of Tartrazine "