Evaluation of the impact of azo dyes on the metabolism of stabilized fecal communities and in vitro cell culture

The human gut microbiota is a complex and dynamic ecosystem of microbes existing in symbiosis with the host and can be altered by diet. Azo dyes are present in a large portion of our diet. To investigate the impact of azo dyes on gut microbial metabolites, a stabilized fecal slurry was subjected to Tartrazine exposure and metabolites were analyzed via 1-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Results revealed that Tartrazine had a negative effect on 10 out of 13 profiled metabolites. Tartrazine had a negative impact on the transepithelial resistance of in vitro cultured Caco2 epithelial cells and increased the secretion of TNFα. Data from Guelph Health Family Studies suggested that children up to 6 years of age tend to consume 1.2 meals daily containing azo dye. This study suggests that dyes present in food interact with gut microbiota; the resulting metabolites may cause inflammation, leading to effects on human health.