Sodium pyruvate (α-Ketopropionic acid sodium salt; 2-Oxopropanoic acid sodium salt；Pyruvic acid sodium; C3H3NaO3) as an important endogenous small molecules participates various tissue and organ metabolism processes that is the final product of glycolysis and the starting substrate for the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and possesses antioxidant and scavenging free radical effects, thus widely using as buffer, excipient and antioxidant in medicine, diagnostic reagent and medical device [1].

Sodium pyruvate is an endogenous antioxidant and reactive oxygen radical scavenger [2]. In this process, H2O2 or other reactive oxygen radicals are scavenged by sodium pyruvate by a nonenzymatic reaction or an oxidative dephosphorylation, and produce acetate, water and carbon dioxide [3]. Thus, sodium pyruvate can suppress renal cellular injury induced by H2O2, such as lipid peroxidation of rat kidney homogenate, and cytosolic 51Cr release (a marker of cellular injury) from renal epithelial cells induced by H2O2 [4]. In vivo model of renal failure, sodium pyruvate could impress the rise in serum creatinine at 24 hours after glycerol injection, and effectively prevented histology structural damage and reduced the fall in glomerular filtration rate after glycerol injection [4]. In addition, sodium pyruvate also possesses beneficial effects on other organ systems of different animal models for scavenging reactive oxygen radicals and less radicals -induced cell apoptosis [5]. Thus, sodium pyruvate as effect antioxidant has potential in the clinical medication. Moreover, as effect antioxidant, sodium pyruvate is also as additives used in a vast range of foods and toiletries. 

Sodium pyruvate as antioxidant appears effective anti-inflammatory. In acute and chronic models of inflammation in rats, sodium pyruvate could significantly inhibit the acute paw edema manner induced by carrageenan. And this effect has a dose dependent，the inhibit effect would be enhancing with the dose of sodium pyruvate increasing [6]. In Freund's adjuvant arthritis model, oral administration or adjuvant injection of sodium pyruvate once daily also significantly reduced the edema, suggesting sodium pyruvate possessed significant anti-inflammatory activity [6]. The anti-inflammatory activity of sodium pyruvate in biosystems could be attributed to its antioxidant properties. In addition, inhaled sodium pyruvate beneficial therapeutic efficacy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (an inflammatory disease of the airways related to reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species) by improving in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and expired breath NO, further suggesting the anti-inflammatory effects of sodium pyruvate [7]. Thus, Sodium pyruvate could be the active ingredients of antibacterial nasal spray for all kinds of acute, chronic rhinitis nasal irrigation cavity spray.

References

[1] http://www.hezefdc.com/ProductChemicalPropertiesCB4252757.htm.

[2] O'Donnell-Tormey, J., Nathan, C. F., Lanks, K., DeBoer, C. J., & De La Harpe, J. (1987). Secretion of pyruvate. An antioxidant defense of mammalian cells. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 165(2), 500-514.

[3] Brand, K. A., & Hermfisse, U. (1997). Aerobic glycolysis by proliferating cells: a protective strategy against reactive oxygen species. The FASEB journal, 11(5), 388-395.

[4] Salahudeen, A. K., Clark, E. C., & Nath, K. A. (1991). Hydrogen peroxide-induced renal injury. A protective role for pyruvate in vitro and in vivo. The Journal of clinical investigation, 88(6), 1886-1893.

[5] Fink, M. P. (2003). Ethyl pyruvate: a novel anti-inflammatory agent. In Intensive Care Medicine (pp. 604-614). Springer, New York, NY.