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Common Food Additives Inhibit Carbonic Anhydrase Activity
Ayça Aktaş Karaçelik1, Murat Küçük2, Semra Alkan Türkuçar3
1Department of Food Processing, Espiye Vocational School, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey.
Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology
|August 19, 2025
Summary
Food additives can inhibit vital human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) enzymes, with colorants like Erythrosine B showing significant effects. This suggests potential health risks from excessive additive consumption.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Enzymology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Limited research exists on food additives' impact on human enzymes.
- Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a vital enzyme in humans, with key isoenzymes hCAI and hCAII.
- The study investigates 20 diverse food additives for their enzymatic inhibitory effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the inhibitory effects of 20 common food additives on bovine carbonic anhydrase (bCA) and human carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (hCAI and hCAII).
- To compare the inhibitory potency of different food additive categories, including colorants, antioxidants, sweeteners, preservatives, and an acidity regulator.
- To assess the pharmacokinetic properties of these additives using ADMET analysis and correlate findings with potential health implications.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme inhibition assays were performed to determine IC50 values for 20 food additives against bCA, hCAI, and hCAII.
- Food additives were categorized into colorants, antioxidants, sweeteners, preservatives, and acidity regulators.
- ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity) predictions were utilized to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of the additives.
Main Results:
- All 20 tested food additives exhibited inhibitory effects on human CA isoenzymes, with IC50 values ranging from 5 to 5998 μM.
- Colorants, particularly Erythrosine B, demonstrated the highest inhibition levels, comparable to the standard inhibitor sulfanilamide.
- The synthetic antioxidant BHT showed greater inhibition than ascorbic acid, while sweeteners displayed minimal inhibition. Curcumin was the only additive with high predicted gastrointestinal absorption.
Conclusions:
- Excessive consumption of foods containing these additives may pose health risks due to carbonic anhydrase inhibition.
- There is a need to develop alternative food additives with reduced or no carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity.
- Erythrosine B and its derivatives warrant further investigation as potential candidates for developing novel carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
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