The impact of tartrazine and thymoquinone administration on rat liver

Aim: The current study aimed to observe the toxic effects of tartrazine, a commonly used dyestuff in industries and foods, on the liver, and investigate whether this toxicity could be eliminated with Thymoquinone coadministration. Material and Method: The study was conducted on 32 200-250 g male Wistar albino rats, procured from İnönü University Experimental Animals Breeding and Research Center. The rats were randomly assigned to 4 equal groups: Control group, Thymoquinone group, tartrazine group, Thymoquinone + tartrazine group. The trials were conducted for 21 days. Then, rat liver tissue and blood samples were obtained and biochemical and histological examinations were conducted on the samples. Results: Tartrazine administration increased the oxidant and oxidative stress index parameters in the liver tissue, decreased the antioxidant parameters, led to histopathological problems and inflammation in the serum samples. Thymoquinone administration increased the antioxidant parameter levels in liver tissue and decreased serum inflammation levels (p<0.001). Thymoquinone and tartrazine coadministration reduced the adverse biochemical and histopathological effects of tartrazine. Conclusion: Tartrazine caused hepatotoxicity via cellular damage in the liver tissue and led to inflammation. Thymoquinone, on the other hand, improved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We recommend daily consumption of black cumin and its active ingredient, thymoquinone to reduce tartrazine toxicity.