BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Tartrazine (TRZ), a synthetic red azo dye derived from coal tar, is widely used as a food colorant in various food products, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. This study aims to investigate the impact of TRZ on the expression levels of DNA methyltransferases ( METHODS: The selected human cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of TRZ (20 µM, 40 µM, and 80 µM), with DMBA serving as a positive control. After treatment, we quantified the expression levels of RESULTS: Our findings indicate that TRZ significantly upregulates the expression of CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that TRZ may play a role in carcinogenesis and epigenetic modifications. The observed upregulation of