O disseleneto de difenila (DPDS) é um reagente eletrofílico empregado na síntese de diversos compostos organoselenados (OS) farmacologicamente ativos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar os efeitos mutagênicos de três derivados simétricos do DPDS (p-cloro-fenil-disseleneto, p-metil-fenil-disseleneto e p-metoxi-fenil-disseleneto) em levedura. Em resumo, os efeitos celulares dos três OS estudados nesse trabalho parecem ser variáveis em função do grupo químico substituinte no anel aromático e da concentração empregada. A presença de grupo metila no anel aromático do DPDS aumenta o potencial citotóxico enquanto a inserção de um grupamento metoxila potencializa os efeitos citotóxicos e mutagênicos do DPDS.Diphenyl diselenide (DPDS) is an electrophilic reagent used in the synthesis of a variety of pharmacologically active organoselenium (OS) compounds. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mutagenic effects of three symmetrical derivatives from the prototype DPDS (p-chloride-phenyl-diselenide, p-methyl-phenyl-diselenide and p-methoxy-phenyl-diselenide) in yeast. In summary, the cellular effects of the three OS compounds studied in this work appear to be variable according to the substituent group in the aromatic ring and are concentration-dependent. The presence of methoxyl group in the aromatic ring of DPDS structure results in elevation of the cytotoxic and mutagenic potential while the introduction of a methyl group increases the cytotoxic effect.
Keywords: organoselenium, diphenyl diselenide, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
IntroductionSelenium, an essential trace element for animals, is known to have antioxidant and chemopreventive potential in numerous animal model systems as well as cancer chemopreventive efficacy in humans. 1-5 Ingestion of the major known dietary sources of selenium, such as selenomethionine, selenocysteine and inorganic selenium is limited by toxicity. Thus, a number of synthetic derivatives have been developed. In the last few decades, the interest in organoselenium (OS) biochemistry has intensified due to variety of pharmacologic effects of the synthetic OS compounds. The above molecules could be used as antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors, neuroprotective agents, anti-tumor and anti-infectious agents, cytokine inducers and immunomodulators. 6,7 Diphenyl diselenide (DPDS, Figure 1) is a simple and stable OS compound. It is an electrophilic reagent used in the synthesis of a variety of pharmacologically active OS compounds. 8,9 Indeed, the biological activity of DPDS has been studied and this compound has become a good candidate for therapeutic proposals, since it presents very interesting pharmacological effects. When compared to other tested diselenide substitutes or ebselen, DPDS exhibits high thiol peroxidase activity and better antioxidant potential as a glutathione peroxidase mimic. 2 It furthermore has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties. 8,10 However, DPDS also presents toxic effects as it inhibits d-aminolevulinate dehydratase in several ...