sodium-benzoate and Pain

Currently, due to the large number of reports regarding the harmfulness of food additives, more and more consumers follow the so-called "clean label" trend, i.e., prefer and choose the least-processed food products. One of the compounds known as a preservative with a high safety profile is sodium benzoate. While some studies show that it can be used to treat conditions such as depression, pain, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, others report its harmfulness. For example, it was found to cause mutagenic effects, generate oxidative stress, disrupt hormones, and reduce fertility. Due to such disparate results, the purpose of this study is to comprehensively discuss the safety profile of sodium benzoate and its potential use in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and pain relief.

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major; Humans; Nervous System; Pain; Sodium Benzoate

(1). We investigated the effects of inhibiting D: -amino-acid oxidase (DAO) activity on nociceptive responses through the use of mutant ddY/DAO(-) mice, which lack DAO activity, and through the application of a selective inhibitor of DAO, sodium benzoate, in the tail flick test, hot-plate test, formalin test, and acetic acid-induced writhing test. (2). Compared with normal ddY/DAO+ mice, ddY/DAO(- )mice showed significantly prolonged tail withdrawal latency in the tail flick test and licking/jumping latency in the hot-plate test, as well as significantly reduced duration of licking/biting in the late phase of the formalin test and the number of abdominal writhing in the acetic acid-induced writhing test. (3). In addition, we investigated the effects of sodium benzoate in Kunming mice having normal DAO activity. (4). Intravenous administration of sodium benzoate (400 mg/kg) significantly inhibited pain responses of the late phase of the formalin test and abdominal writhing responses in the acetic acid-induced writhing test, with no effects on the early phase flinch responses in the formalin test, nociceptive responses in the tail flick test, or hot-plate test. (5). These results suggest that DAO acts as a pro-nociceptive factor in pain, particularly chronic pain, transmission and modulation, and may be a target for pain treatment.

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Chronic Disease; D-Amino-Acid Oxidase; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Enzyme Inhibitors; Inflammation; Male; Mice; Mice, Mutant Strains; Mice, Transgenic; Pain; Pain Measurement; Sodium Benzoate