Antioxidant actions of ovothiol-derived 4-mercaptoimidazoles: glutathione peroxidase activity and protection against peroxynitrite-induced damage

4-Mercaptoimidazoles derived from the naturally occurring antioxidants, ovothiols, were tested for their glutathione peroxidase-like (GSH Px-like) activity and protection against peroxynitrite-induced damage. All the thiol compounds displayed similar significant GSH Px-like activities, which are however weaker than that of the reference compound, ebselen, The inhibitions of the peroxynitrite-dependent oxidation of Evans blue dye and dihydrorhodamine 123 showed that the thiol compounds substituted on position 5 of the imidazole ring were nearly as effective as ebselen while the C-2 substituted ones were less effective, Both assays corroborate the large superiority of mercaptoimidazoles over glutathione as inhibitors of peroxynitrite-dependent oxidation, (C) 2000 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.