A dose-related miRNA panel reveals candidate tissue markers and potential mechanisms for sunset yellow-induced testicular toxicity

Abstract

Background: Sunset Yellow (SY), a widely used azo dye food additive, has raised increasing health concerns.However, its potential testicular toxicity and the underlying molecular mechanisms, particularly those involv-ing regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs), remain poorly understood. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of SY exposure on testicular histopathology and theexpression patterns of key miRNAs (miR-34c, miR-122, and let-7a) in a rat model. Design: Rats were exposed to low and high doses of SY for 28 days. Testicular tissues were analyzed usingHematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and quantitative PCR for miRNA expression. Statistical analysis was per-formed to assess dose-dependent effects. Results: SY exposure induced severe histopathological damage in a dose-dependent manner, including dis-rupted seminiferous tubule architecture, germ cell depletion, vacuolization, and interstitial cell changes. High-dose SY caused significant downregulation of miR-34c (P < 0.0001) and upregulation of miR-122 (16.2-fold,P < 0.0001), while let-7a showed alteration only at high doses. The miRNA expression changes showed aparallel association with the severity of histological impairment at the group level. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that SY induces dose-related testicular toxicity via dysregulation of miR-34c and miR-122. These candidate tissue markers are associated with testicular damage and support riskassessment and regulatory strategies, although further mechanistic and validation studies are needed.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Food & Nutrition Research, 2026 · DOI ↗