ArticlePeerJ2018
Sunset Yellow and Allura Red modulate Bcl2 and COX2 expression levels and confer oxidative stress-mediated renal and hepatic toxicity in male rats.
Article in PeerJ, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potential impacts of synthetic food dyes on activity and attention in children: a review of the human and animal evidence.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2022Pooled it
- Exploring the Potential of Morus nigra L. Fruit and Leaves as Food Additives: Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, Enzyme Inhibition Effects, and Phytochemical Profiles.Chemistry & biodiversity · 2026Article
- Food Additives: Emerging Detrimental Roles on Gut Health.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Review
- Effects of Selected Food Additives on the Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Allura Red AC is a xenobiotic. Is it also a carcinogen?Carcinogenesis · 2024Review
- Review
- Comparison of the effect of Sunset yellow on the stomach and small intestine of developmental period of mice.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Emerging Roles of Gut Serotonin in Regulation of Immune Response, Microbiota Composition and Intestinal Inflammation.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2024Review
- Article
- The synthetic food dye, Red 40, causes DNA damage, causes colonic inflammation, and impacts the microbiome in mice.Toxicology reports · 2023Article
- Post-Weaning Exposure to Sunset Yellow FCF Induces Changes in Testicular Tight and Gap Junctions in Rats: Protective Effects of Coenzyme Q10.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2023Article
- Chronic exposure to synthetic food colorant Allura Red AC promotes susceptibility to experimental colitis via intestinal serotonin in mice.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of Sunset Yellow FCF for cats and dogs, ornamental fish, grain-eating ornamental birds and small rodents (Sensient Colours Europe GmbH).EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2022Article
- The Embryotoxic Effects of in Ovo Administered Sunset Yellow FCF in Chick Embryos.Veterinary sciences · 2021Article
- Early-onset colorectal cancer: initial clues and current views.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2020Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Studies on the adverse health effects caused by azo dyes are insufficient and quite contradictory. This work aims to investigate the possible toxic effect of two types of widely used food additives, Sunset Yellow and Allura Red, by assessing the physiological, histopathological and ultrastructural changes in the liver and kidney. Also, we investigated the genotoxic effect of both dyes on white blood cells. Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 animals each: control (received water), Sunset Yellow-treated (2.5 mg/kg body weight) and Allura Red-treated (seven mg/kg body weight). The doses were orally applied for 4 weeks. Our results indicated an increase in the biochemical markers of hepatic and renal function (Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, uric acid and creatinine) in animals administered with the azo dyes. We also observed a noticeable increase in MDA and a marked decrease in total antioxidant levels in azo dye-treated animals compared to controls. Conversely, both dyes adversely affected the liver and kidney of albino rats and altered their histological and fine structure, with downregulation of Bcl2 and upregulation of COX2 expression. Our comet assay results showed a significant elevation in the fold change of tail moment in response to application of Sunset Yellow but not Allura Red. Collectively, we show that Sunset Yellow and Allura Red cause histopathological and physiological aberrations in the liver and kidney of male Wistar albino rats. Moreover, Sunset Yellow but not Allura Red induces a potential genotoxic effect.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.