Fig. 1.

Red 40 induces DNA damage in vitro. A. HCT116 cells were exposed to Red 40 as indicated by dose then harvested after 24 h exposure. B. Time course of exposure to 1 mM Red 40. C. Red 40 causes phosphorylation of P53 at serine 15 and stabilizes P53. For the comet assay (A, B), an alkaline Comet assay was carried out, which detects both double and single stranded DNA breaks. Tail moment is the product of the tail length and the fraction of total DNA in the tail; and a longer tail moment indicates higher DNA damage. Error bars represent the standard error (n = 3).