Effects of a Carbonated Soft Drink on Epitheial Tumor Incidence in Drosophila melanogaster

Diet represents an important risk factor for tumor development and numerous food dyes have been tested for their carcinogenic potential. Caramel IV colorant and its byproduct, the 4-methylimidazole (4-MI), are part of the composition of cola soft drinks, although in undefined concentration. Considering that this concentration depends on the manufacturing place, we aimed to evaluate the potential carcinogenic activity of cola soft drinks from Brazil, Canada, Egypt and Netherlands, through the test for detection of epithelial tumor clones (warts) in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster. We used 72-hour larvae resulting from the crossing of wts/TM3, Sb1 virgin females and mwh/mwh males. Larvae were exposed to the media containing the cola soft drinks for 48 hours and the analysis was performed in adults after transformation. Cola soft drinks from Brazil significantly induced epithelial tumor in D. melanogaster, while those from Canada, Egypt and Netherlands did not. In fact, the concentration of 4-MI is higher in cola soft drink commercialized in Brazil. Our results highlight the importance of investigating the toxic potential of current drinks, which may correlate with the rising incidence of malignant diseases.