Oxidative Stress by Tartrazine in the Testis of Wistar Rats

The aim is to study the effect of Tartrazine (E102) - synthetic food colour - on the antioxidant status of testis of Wistar rats. Twelve male Wistar rats were grouped into 2 groups of six each - Control and Tartrazine-treated groups. Control group was orally administered with water alone while the experimental group was orally administered with tartrazine dissolved in water. The treatment was carried out for 60 days and the activities of antioxidant enzymes - superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) and the levels of their cofactors were subsequently determined in the testis, along with histological studies. Activities of the 4 enzymes showed a common decrease with corresponding alterations in their cofactor levels. The colour orally administered to the experimental animals probably would have generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and H2O2, thereby disrupting the enzymatic antioxidant defense of their testes. Tartrazine is capable of producing free radicals, which in turn cause damage to the cellular compartment system of rat testis.