Factoid Friday – The Magic of Blue Food Colouring
October 16th, 2009 |The most common blue food dye, FD&C blue dye No. 1, is used in many food products and approximately 16 mg are consumed each day per person in the United States. This blue dye may be able to reduce the severity of spinal injuries in humans, which can often lead to the loss of muscle control. The blue dye has the same chemical structure as Brilliant Blue G (BBG), which has been found to be a selective P2X7R antagonist. P2X7R is a protein found mostly in the motor neurons of the spinal cord. This protein is activated by a high concentration of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy molecule for all cells. Initial spinal cord injuries (SCI) initiate a mass production of ATP which would then activate the P2X7R protein complex. The activation of this protein complex has been known to over stimulate the motor neurons causing them to overexert themselves and die, ultimately resulting in paralysis.
In 2009 researchers have discovered that when BBG is administrated through intravenous injection (IV) 15 minutes or even up to 6 hours after the original spinal cord injury there is a great improvement in motor control compared to those with no treatment (note: this study was done on rats and all research experiments have to be approved by an ethics board). The rats given the BBG treatment had reduced secondary SCI and were able to walk with a limp. The only side effect noted was blue colouring of the skin and no known toxicity, except in special cases. This has great implication for future use because the previous compound found to have the same positive effects on SCI, oxidated ATP, had to be injected directly into the spinal cord and had potential toxic side effects.
Sources:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706763 (may require a google search: "Blue Dye Stops Spinal-Cord-Injury Progression")
That is just amazing!! And I thought the blue feet, etc were just a photo effect on the little mouse…but the blue dye injections? Wow…it’s also hard to believe that this material is non-toxic–blue seems such an unnatural color for food….
It is incredible that the effects are so dramatic. But I’d take it just for the blue coloring of the skin, particularly around Halloween.