Synthesis and biological evaluation of ebselen and its acyclic derivatives.

Five ebselen and three acyclic ebselen derivatives were synthesized. These compounds were screened for their glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px)-like activity and scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-pycryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and peroxynitrite radical. All tested compounds displayed similar significant GSH Px-like activity, which are slightly higher than that of ebselen. The peroxynitrite scavenging activity showed that the acyclic allylseleno 4c was five times more potent than ebselen.