OBA-09 is a novel multimodal neuroprotectant oxopropanoyloxy benzoic acid. OBA-09 displays robust protective effects in the postischemic brain.

OBA-09 exhibited antioxidative effects in the postischemic brain, which was evidenced by the remarkable reduction of lipid peroxidation and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal staining in OBA-09-administered animals. OBA-09 was capable of scavenging hydroxyl radical in cell-free assays. High-performance liquid chromatography results demonstrated that OBA-09 was hydrolyzed to salicylic acid and pyruvate with t1/2 = 43 min in serum and 4.2 h in brain parenchyma, indicating that antioxidative function of OBA-09 is executed by itself and also by salicylic acid after the hydrolysis. In addition to antioxidative function, OBA-09 exerts anti-excitotoxic and anti-Zn2+-toxic functions, which might be attributed to attenuation of ATP and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide depletion and to the suppression of nuclear factor-κB activity induction. Together these results indicate that OBA-09 has a potent therapeutic potential as a multimodal neuroprotectant in the postischemic brain and these effects were conferred by OBA-09 itself and subsequently its hydrolyzed products.