Sudan IV is an agonist of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) that activates downstream signaling pathways and induces CYP1A1 expression. Sudan IV promotes CYP1A1 gene transcription by activating AhR-ARNT heterodimers and binding to exogenous response elements (XREs) on DNA, thereby enhancing drug metabolizing enzyme activity. Sudan IV can be used to study the toxicity mechanisms of industrial dyes and the effects of interactions with serum proteins (such as bovine serum albumin (BSA)) on their distribution in vivo. Sudan IV is a fat-soluble diazo dye that can be used to stain lipids, triglycerides, and lipoproteins on frozen sections[1][2][3][4].
