To assess the potential mitigating impact of curcumin on any potential neurotoxic effects induced by tartrazine.

This random control trial involved 45 adult male rats with weights ranging from 250-300g, randomly divided into III groups, each consisting of 15 rats (n=15). Group I was given a standard diet. Group II received tartrazine by dissolving in tap water, at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg of body weight. Group III was administered both 200 mg/kg of curcumin and tartrazine orally, daily for period of twenty-eight days. At the conclusion of the study, the animals were euthanized, and their brains were dissected. Following embedding, coronal sections of 5μm thickness were obtained and stained with haematoxylin eosin to visualize the degenerative changes in the neurons of rat motor cortex. Results were analysed using SPSS version 21.

Histologically significant ameliorative effects of curcumin were observed in terms of improvement in pyramidal cell degeneration and granule cell necrosis in motor cortex of rat cerebrum. Encouraging the limitation of artificial dyes, particularly in children's diets, is advisable. Opting for a diet devoid of artificial food coloring or substituting tartrazine, with Curcumin, a natural alternative, is recommended.

Curcumin is a budding solution for alleviating tartrazine-induced neurotoxicity, thanks to its antioxidative, anti-neuroinflammatory, and anti-apoptotic attributes.