Sodium benzoate, a food preservative, induces anxiety and motor impairment in rats.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the behavioral characteristics, including anxiety and motor impairment, in sodium benzoate (NaB) treated rats. METHODS The study was carried out between July and September 2012 in the Laboratory Animal Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The rats were divided into 2 groups receiving distilled water and NaB (200mg/kg/day). All the animals received daily gavages for 4 weeks. At the end of the fourth week, anxiety, and motor function were assessed in elevated plus maze and rotarod test. RESULTS According to the results, NaB-treated rats spent less time in the open arm and had fewer entrances to the open arms in comparison with the control group (p<0.04). Also, the performance of the NaB-treated rats in fixed and accelerating speed rotarods was impaired, and the riding time (endurance) was lower than the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSION The performance of the NaB-treated rats was impaired in the elevated plus maze, an indicator of anxiety. Their riding time in fixed and accelerating speed rotarods was decreased, indicating motor impairment.