Synthesis and biological evaluation of new nitrogen-​containing diselenides

The antioxidant properties of organoselenium compds. have been extensively investigated with the aim of developing new drugs, since oxidative stress is responsible for a variety of chronic human diseases. Herein, we reported the synthesis of new nitrogen-​contg. diselenides by a simple and efficient synthetic route. The products were obtained in good to excellent yields and their identification and characterization were achieved by NMR and HRMS techniques. The new derivs. may represent promising structures with different biol. activities, which can act against oxidative stress through diverse mechanisms of action. The glutathione peroxidase-​like assay (GPx-​like activity) of the new synthesized compds. indicated that they reduced H2O2 to water at the expense of PhSH. The best results were obtained with diselenide I, which was 9 times more active than the std. organoselenium drug ebselen and, in contrast, this compd. was not reduced by hepatic TrxR. All of the new compds. inhibited Fe(II)​-​induced TBARS.