Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effects of Tartrazine and Thymoquinone on brain tissue in Wistar albino rats.

Material and Method: Rats bred at the Inonu University Experimental Animal Breeding Center were divided into four groups after receiving approval from the ethics committee: Control, Tartrazine, Thymoquinone, and a combination of Tartrazine and Thymoquinone. Tartrazine and Thymoquinone were administered orally via gavage for 3 weeks, and the rats' brain tissues were collected after the 3-week period.

Findings: There were differences between the Tartrazine and all other groups. Tartrazine administration led to a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in brain tissue. It also caused a significant decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) levels. Thymoquinone administration caused an increase in GSH, GSH-Px, and CAT levels compared to all other groups.

Conclusion: This study examined the effects of tartrazine and thymoquinone on brain tissue for the first time and found that tartrazine has neurotoxic effects. We believe that the neurotoxicity caused by tartrazine results from oxidative stress, increased oxidant capacity, and decreased antioxidant capacity. Thymoquinone may serve as a neuroprotective agent because it significantly increased antioxidant capacity.

Key words: Tartrazine, thymoquinone, brain, oxidative stress, rats.