Corrected Version: Sodium Benzoate, A Metabolite of Cinnamon and A Food Additive, Improves Cognitive Functions in...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health concern, sometimes leading to long-term neurological disability, especially in children, young adults, and war veterans. Although the research investigators and clinicians have applied different treatment strategies or neurosurgical procedures to solve this health issue, we are still in need of effective therapy to halt the pathogenesis of brain injury. Earlier we have reported that sodium benzoate (NaB), a metabolite of cinnamon and a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug against urea cycle disorders and glycine encephalopathy, protects neurons in animal models of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. This study was undertaken to examine the therapeutic efficacy of NaB in controlled cortical impact (CCI)-induced preclinical mouse model of TBI. Oral treatment with NaB, but not sodium formate (NaFO), was found to decrease the activation of microglia and astrocytes and inhibits the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in hippocampus and cortex of CCI-insulted mice. Further, administration of NaB also reduced the vascular damage and decreased the size of lesion cavity in the brain of CCI-induced mice. Importantly, NaB-treated mice showed significant improvements in memory and locomotor functions as well as displayed substantial reduction in depression like behaviors. These results delineate a novel neuroprotective property of NaB, highlighting its possible therapeutic importance in TBI.