Turkish Neurosurgery
The Effects of Tartrazine on Neural Tube Development in the Early Stage of Chicken Embryos
Ayşegül Özdemir Ovalıoğlu2, Talat Cem Ovalıoğlu2, Gökhan Canaz1, Ayşegül Esen Aydın2, Sema Arslan3, Mehmet Sar4, Erhan Emel2
1Arnavutkoy State Hospital, Neurosurgery, Istanbul,
2Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Istanbul,
3Marmara University, Biochemistry, Istanbul,
4Bakırkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital, Pathology, Istanbul,
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.28793-19.6

Aim:Tartrazine, a synthetic azo dye, is commonly used in many commercial products and can be found in food coloring, various types of medications, and cosmetic products. We aimed to investigate the effects of tartrazine exposure on neural tube development, in early stage chicken embryos.Material and Methods:A total of 120 fertilized specific pathogen-free chicken eggs were divided into 4 equal groups (groups 1–4). After 30 hours of incubation, the eggs, except for the Group 1 (control group), were opened under 4X optical magnification. Group 2 was administered physiological saline. Group 3 was administered a middle dose of tartrazin (4.5 mg/kg) at a volume of 20 µL by the in ovo method, and group 4 was administered a high dose of tartrazine (7.5 mg/kg) using the same process. Incubation was continued until the end of the 72nd hour; all embryos were then removed from the eggs and histopathologically examined.Results:Of the 120 embryos incubated, normal development and the closed neural tubes were shown in all embryos in Group 1; 23 in group 2; 19 in group 3 and; only 9 in group 4. Open neural tubes were found in; 4 embryos in group 2; 5 embryos in group 3 and; 13 embryos in group 4.. The neural tube closure defect was found to be significantly higher in group 4 compared to the other groups (p < 0.01).Conclusion:Based on our data, tartrazine, as one of the widely used food coloring agent, was seen to cause a neural tube defect in the chicken embryo model.

Corresponding author : Ayşegül Özdemir Ovalıoğlu