Abstract
Tartrazine, an azo dye prevalent in pharmaceuticals and food items, was investigated for its impact on fetal development, specifically examining visceral and skeletal abnormalities in rat offspring exposed to daily oral doses throughout pregnancy. Fourteen pregnant rats were randomly assigned to control and tartrazine groups (seven animals each), with tartrazine administered via oral gavage at 7.5 mg/kg throughout gestation. Offspring were categorized by gender for histopathological and genetic analysis of visceral structures. Bone quality and fracture resistance assessments involved micro-CT, Raman spectroscopy, and biomechanical testing. Results highlighted distinct internal organ tissue differences in the tartrazine group, notably increased hemorrhagic and inflammatory cell infiltration, degeneration, and vacuolization compared to controls. Gender-specific alterations in mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TRPM2 genes (p < .001) were also noted. Moreover, tartrazine-exposed groups exhibited reduced trabecular thickness, bone volume, and significant alterations in bone matrix composition and quality alongside significant decreases in fracture resistance (p < 0.05). This study concludes that intrauterine exposure to tartrazine can result in adverse impacts on organ and bone development in rat offspring.