The antioxidant action of 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-alpha]pyra z in-3-one (MCLA), a chemiluminescence probe to detect superoxide anions.

The antioxidant effect of 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-alpha]pyraz in-3-one (MCLA), a Cypridina luciferin analog that acts as a chemiluminescence probe to detect O2.-, was investigated. MCLA produced a lag in oxygen consumption induced by cumene hydroperoxide in microsomes or by 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride in liposomes and disappeared during the duration of the lag. MCLA profoundly inhibited the propagation reaction in Fe2+-dependent lipid peroxidation in liposomes, and MCLA disappearance accompanied by suppression of oxygen consumption markedly occurred in liposomes susceptible to peroxidation. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in all systems used were also suppressed by MCLA dose dependently. These results indicate that MCLA has an antioxidant property through scavenging free radicals.