Sulfite leads to neuron loss in the hippocampus of both normal and SOX-deficient rats

► Sulfite is a commonly used preservative and antioxidant in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. ► We study the effect of exogenous sulfite treatment in both normal and SOX deficient rat hippocampus. ► We found that Exogen or endogen sulfite cause loss of pyramidal neurons in CA1 and CA2-3 layer of hippocampus.