Background and Aim: The use of food dyes can cause certain diseases, such as anemia and indigestion, along with other disorders, tumors, and even cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the chemical nature and toxicity of some commercial dyes locally used in processed foods compared with standard food dyes. Materials and Methods: Three types of standard and commercial food color additives (Sunset Yellow, Tartrazine, and Carmoisine) were extensively examined. The chemical structures and functional groups of the dyes were evaluated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The melting temperatures of the dyes were also determined by chemical thermal analysis. The acute toxicity test to evaluate the standard and commercial food color safety was estimated by a range-finding study using 150 Wistar albino rats. Sub-groups were administered one of the three colors under study at doses of 2, 3, 4, and 5 g/kg body weight (BW) orally for 7 days. When no mortality was observed, an additional 15 g/kg BW was administered. Concerning the median lethal dose 50 (LD50), 38 rats were exploited using the up-and-down method. Results: Commercial dyes had lower melting points than standard colors. Regarding the range-finding study, rats receiving different doses of the dyes exhibited no signs of toxicity, no deaths, and no clinical or gross pathological signs throughout the 7 days of the experiment. However, the animals that were dosed with 15 g/kg BW of each dye showed signs of loss of appetite, tachycardia, drowsiness, and eventual death. The LD50 values of the commercial food dyes, particularly Sunset Yellow and Carmoisine, were lower than those of the standard dyes. Conclusion: Commercial food colors were more toxic to rats than standard food colors. Differences were observed between the purity of the standard and commercial dyes, and the latter ones contained different percentages of salt, indicating the occurrence of fraud in commercial markets. Keywords: acute toxicity, food colors, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, lethal dose 50, range-finding study.
Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder that is characterized by reduced bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. The most frequent osteoporotic fractures are fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine. The exact causes of OP are still unknown; several factors contribute to the disorder. Subjects and Methods: This study consists of patient groups, this group (Group A) was composed of 80 postmenopausal women with OP and osteopenia and the patient group was subdivided into two group; First group (GroupA1) was composed of 50 postmenopausal women with OP and the second group (Group A2) composed of (30) Postmenopausal Women with oste
... Show MoreThe use of medicinal plant preparations to clean and disinfect root canal infection is gaining popularity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioactive composition of leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera plants cultivated in Iraq (specifically Baghdad) and their antimicrobial activity against selected root canal pathogens for potential application in endodontic treatment. Materials and Methods. Moringa leaf extracts were prepared either through cold maceration or warm digestion techniques to perform an ethanolic or aqueous extraction, respectively. Phytochemical detection was performed before thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure flavonoids and phenolic compounds within both
... Show MoreA synthesis series of new heterocyclic derivatives (A2-A7) (pyrrole, pyridazine, oxazine and imidazol) derived from 4-acetyl-2,5-dichloro-1-(3,5-dinitrophenyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylate(A1) have been synthesised. Synthesis of compound (A2) by the reaction of starting material (A1) with hydroxyl amine hydrochloride in the presence of pyridine. Compound (A2) was reacted with hydrazine hydrate in dry benzene to give (A3) derivative. The compound )A3( deals with sodium nitrite to give diazonium salt, and the reaction diazonium salt with ethyl acetoacetate to produce compound (A4). To a mixture of compound (A4) and hydroxyl amine with sttired to yield (A5).Compound (A6) was prepared by reaction compound (A4) with thiosemicarbazide in presence
... Show MoreThe discovery of novel therapeutic molecules is always difficult, and there are a variety of methodologies that use the most diverse and innovative medicinal chemistry approaches. One such approach is the deuteration technique: Deuteration is the process of substituting deuterium for hydrogen in a molecule. When compared to the drug molecule, its deuterated analogues may retain the features of the original molecule and, in some cases, improve its pharmacological activity, with fewer side effects and lower toxicity. Metronidazole is a commonly used antibiotic to treat anaerobic bacterial infections, protozoal and microaerophilic bacterial infections. Met
... Show MoreAlizarin is one of the popularly used and wide separated compounds with a chemical name (1,2- dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone) which belong to the anthraquinones family that contain three aromatic conjugated rings and in the central rings it contains two ketonic groups.1
Climate change causes water shortage (water scarcity) in addition to the dams built by neighboring countries, which caused a lack of Iraq's water share. Therefore, evaluating the irrigation system requires considering its suitability, adequacy, and efficiency. Irrigation is considered adequate when it maintains water availability within the root zone, and if the amount to be added is determined, irrigation efficiency becomes possible by avoiding water loss. Babil Governorate is considered one of the agricultural governorates in the country that depends on its irrigation from Shatt Al-Hilla. The study area is the Elaj project. Three fields were selected for the project (B1, B2, and B3). These fields are lo
... Show MoreThis research examines the factors which influence pedestrian's walking speed in Baghdad. the variations in walking speed of pedestrians are related to pedestrian characteristics such as gender, age group, and clothing traditions. Using the established methodology, the counts of pedestrians were performed using manual and video counting. The case study was performed in two streets located in a highly crowded commercial zone at the city center of Baghdad: Al-Karada Dakhel and Al- Sina’a Street. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 19 software. It has been found that Iraqi pedestrians walk slower than other pedestrians in the developed countries or in the region with minimum walking speed of 29.85 m/min.
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