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Indigo carmine, or 5,5′-indigodisulfonic acid sodium salt, is an derived from Indigo dye by aromatic sulfonation, which renders the compound soluble in water. Like indigo, it produces a blue color, and is used in food colorant, cosmetics, and as a medical contrast agent and staining agent; it also acts as a pH indicator. It is approved for human consumption in the United States and European Union. Summary of Color Additives for Use in United States in Foods, Drugs, Cosmetics, and Medical Devices, Food and Drug Administration Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers, Food Standards Agency, 26 November 2010 It has the E number E132, and is named Blue No. 2 by the US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
In obstetric surgery, it may be used to detect amniotic fluid leaks. In urologic surgery, intravenous indigo carmine can be used to highlight portions of the urinary tract. The dye is filtered rapidly by the kidneys from the blood, and colors the urine blue. However, the dye can cause a potentially dangerous acute increase in blood pressure in some cases.
Indigo carmine staining is not absorbed into cells, so it is applied to tissues to enhance the visibility of mucosa. This leads to its use for examination and diagnosis of benign tumor and malignant lesions and growths on mucosal surfaces of the body.
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