Investigation of the Genotoxicity of Tatrazine and Anti-Genotoxicity of Some Plants Extracts in Drosophila Melanogaster Using the Smart Test

Abstract

Food colorings are the food additives, which are used for improving the appearance of food and beverages. In the present study, genotoxic effects of Tatrtazine (E 102), is an synthetic food coloring, was investigated in vivo using the wing spot test, SMART (somatic mutation and recombination test), in Drosophila melanogaster Meigen. The food coloring at 25‰, 50‰ and 75‰ concentrations were added to food mediums of Drosophila during the larval stage and the numbers of mutant wing spots were evaluated using the SMART. Negative control medium was prepared with distilled water, while positive control medium was prepared with 1 mM EMS (ethyl methane sulfonate). According to results obtained from SMART, Tartrazine demonstrated significant results in trans-heterozygous flies (mwh/flr3) for inducing the mutant wing spots compared to control groups at 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, and 75 mg/ml exposure concentrations. On the other hand, Tartrazine yielded significant results for inducing the mutant wing spots in balancer-heterozygous flies (mwh/TM3) at 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, and 75 mg/ml exposure concentrations.The numbers of mutant wing spots were increased by the food coloring depending on the concentration (Chi-Square test; df=3, P<0.001). It was also determined that the numbers of mutant wing spots were significantly higher than the flies in the negative control medium and it suggests that Tartrazine has genotoxic effect. However, these numbers were less than the flies in the positive control medium; the data indicate that genotoxic effect of the food coloring was not as much as the EMS.On the other hand, the concentrations of Tartrazine were used in the mediums together the different plant extracts to determine whether they have anti-genotoxic effects against the food coloring. The following plant extracts were added to mediums at 100 mg/ml concentration with the food coloring was: Hypericum perforatum L., (St John’s wort), Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. (milk thistle), and Lavandula stoechas L. (topped lavender). When the mutant wing spots were compared to the control groups showed that the three plant extracts have no effect to reduce numbers of mutant wing spots in trans-heterozygous flies (mwh/flr3) and in balancer-heterozygous flies (mwh/TM3) and thus, have no anti-genotoxic effect against the food coloring used experimental treatments (Kruskal-Wallis test; df=2, P>0.05). Keywords: Genotoxicity, anti-genotoxicity, Tartrazine, Hypericum perforatum L., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Lavandula stoechas L., Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, SMART. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/89-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2021