Antioxidant properties of β-seleno amines against lipid peroxidation in rat brain and liver

β-Seleno amines were screened for in vitro antioxidant activity. The compounds (C1–C4) were tested against lipid peroxidation induced by iron and sodium nitroprusside in rat brain and liver homogenates. The compounds showed inhibition against thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) induced by different pro-oxidants (10 μM FeSO4 and 5 μM sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in rat brain and liver homogenates. The compounds exhibited strong antioxidant activity in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and phosphomolybdenum assays. The IC50 values revealed that the β-seleno amines in which the amino group was protected with protecting groups tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) and Tosyl (Ts) groups showed better antioxidant profiles compared to the free monoselenides. The total antioxidant activity of C1, C2, C3 and C4 were found to be 85.2 ± 11.5, 114 ± 7.9, 138 ± 8.5, 125.81 ± 5.2 μM/ml of ascorbic acid respectively. Therefore, these compounds may be used as synthetic antioxidants.

► β-Seleno amines were screened for in vitro antioxidant activity.
► The compounds showed inhibition against thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) induced by different pro-oxidants in rat liver and brain homogenates.
► The β-seleno amines in which the amino group was protected with tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) and Tosyl groups showed better antioxidant profiles compared to the free monoselenides.