A cell-permeable histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) inhibitor (IC50 = 400 uM) in sodium salt powder format that exhibits anticancer, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Recently it has been reported that valproic acid enables reprogramming of primary human fibroblasts with only two factors, Oct4 and Sox2, without the need for the oncogenes c-Myc or Klf4