Erythrosine and tartrazine are one of the synthetic azo dye mostly consumed in food, drugs and other industrial compounds. This study was designed to investigate the adverse effect of combine erythrosine and tartrazine on cognitive and neurobehavioral functions, pro-oxidants, endogenous antioxidants, cholinergic system and proinflammatory cytokines in rats. Erythrosine and tartrazine (2 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg, b.w., p.o, 50:50) was administered to rats (n ¼ 6) for 6 weeks. Memory and neurobehavioral assessment using Novel object recognition test (NORT) and Elevated plus maze (EPM) and biochemical (pro-oxidants and anti-oxidant enzymes) and pro-inflammatory cytokine measurement from the brain sub regions namely, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were done at the end of treatment. The results showed (p < 0.05) significant decreased memory and neurobehavioral function, increased acetyl-cholinesterase and pro-oxidants activity (Malonaldehyde level and Nitrite), decreased endogenous antioxidants (Glutathione and Catalase) and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, TNF-α). We suggested that the mechanism by which this oxidative and neuro-inflammatory damage and cholinergic system alteration occur might be related to the release of metabolite in fission of the azo dyes of the combined erythrosine and tartrazine administration in the animals. However, we concluded on these findings that erythrosine and tartrazine dyes significantly provoke the release of oxido-nitrergic and neuroinflammatory stress markers and also may incite acetyl-cholinesterase activities in different brain regions leading to memory and neurobehavioral impairment.

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Objective: Nnewi is a growing industrial town in Nigeria and the industries are sited very close to human habitation. Exposure to industrial effluents come with deleterious consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the liver function status of chickens exposed to these factory sites in Nnewi Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty-nine (29) chicks were allowed to feed from the surrounding homeland of the factory until they aged between four (4) and five (5) months as adult birds (chickens) for the study. The chickens were sacrificed to obtain the blood for analyses. Five (5) ml of blood sample was collected from the heart into plain containers and the serum obtained was used for the estimation of biochemical parameters. Total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assayed using standard laboratory procedures. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using Students t-test using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 16) software. Statistical significance was tested at p<0.05. Results: The mean serum TP, ALB, TB and DB levels as well as ALP activity in chickens reared around factory sites were not significantly different when compared with the control chickens (p>0.05), however, the mean serum activities of AST and ALT were significantly elevated in the factory exposed chickens than those of the control chicken (p<0.05). Conclusion:This study found a possible compromise between the liver enzymes and the factory environment which could result in poor growth of the chickens. It is recommended that factories be sited away from the reach of the chickens.