Determination of the effect of carvacrol against tartrazine-inducedoxidative stress in rats

Tartrazine (E 102) is a yellow synthetic azo dye whose raw material is coal tar. It is one of the cheapest synthetic dyes and is often used in the pastry industry for making cakes and confectionery, soft drinks, instant puddings, instant soups, chewing gum, snacks, jams, gelatin, jelly, mustard, ketchup and many other foodstuffs. Carvacrol, the main component of thyme, is a compound with antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, the potential uses of carvacrol as an antioxidant agent have attracted the attention of researchers and studies have reported that carvacrol has antioxidant and cell protective effects. The aim of this study, which we planned, was to examine the antioxidant effect of carvacrol against oxidative damage caused by tartrazine in rats. In line with our study, tartrazine (500 mg/kg) and carvacrol (12.5; 25; 50 mg/kg) were administered to rats by gastric gavage for 21 days. At the end of this period, the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) enzymes were examined from blood, liver, brain, kidney, lung, testes and heart tissue samples obtained from animals. In addition, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels were measured. Molecular analysis and histopathological examinations of IFN-γ, TNF-α and NFkB inflammatory genes associated with tissue damage were performed in liver and kidney tissue samples taken from rats. Tartrazine decreased SOD, CAT and GSH levels by stimulating lipid peroxidation in all tissues of rats, increased MDA activity, and increased serum ALT, ALP and AST activities. With the application of carvacrol, SOD, CAT and GSH levels in the tissues approached the control, while MDA activity decreased. On the other hand, carvacrol brought the serum AST, ALT and ALP activities closer to the control group. The findings show that tartrazine administration causes oxidative stress in plasma and cells, and carvacrol, a natural antioxidant, has a protective effect on oral tartrazine toxicity and corrects the negative effects of tartrazine-induced oxidative stress. By statistical evaluation of the data obtained in the study, the importance of the differences between the groups and the relationships between the parameters were determined and the possible protective effectiveness of carvacrol against oxidative damage with tartrazine was determined. According to these results, it has been revealed that carvacrol has positive effects in the prevention of tissue and organ damage due to oxidative stress.