Effects on DNA repair in human lymphocytes exposed to the food dye tartrazine yellow

Tartrazine is a food additive that belongs to a class of artificial dyes and contains an azo group. Studies about its genotoxic, cytotoxic and mutagenic effects are controversial and, in some cases, unsatisfactory. This work evaluated the potential in vitro cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and effects on DNA repair of human lymphocytes exposed to the dye. We assessed the cytotoxicity of tartrazine by 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide test and the response of DNA repair through comet assay (alkaline version). We used different concentrations of the dye, ranging from 0.25-64.0 mM. The results demonstrated that tartrazine has no cytotoxic effects. However, this dye had a significant genotoxic effect at all concentrations tested. Although most of the damage was amenable to repair, some damage remained higher than positive control after 24 h of repair. These data demonstrate that tartrazine may be harmful to health and its prolonged use could trigger carcinogenesis.