IN VITRO ANALYSIS OF TARTRAZINE GENOTOXICITY AND CYTOTOXICITY

Tartrazine (E 102) is widely used yellow food colorant. It is used in nonalcoholic and sports drinks, spicy chips, jams, jelly and chewing gum and also found in many non-food products like soaps, cosmetics, shampoo, vitamins and some drugs. Tartrazine belongs to the most important and diverse group of synthetic dyes – azo dyes. Their use often creates controversies in the public since some of them are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and cause different disorders or allergic reactions. In this study we aimed to evaluate genotoxic potential of tartrazine in human lymphocytes culture and its cytotoxic potential in human lymphocytes and melanoma GR-M cell line. For testing of its genotoxic and cytotoxic potential in human lymphocyte culture, we used chromosome aberration analysis and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay. For the analysis of its cytotoxic potential in human melanoma cell culture, we applied trypan blue exclusion assay.