Organoselenium compounds are known as antioxidants, antithyroid, antinociceptive, antidepressant, thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) mimetic agents with a variety of protective behaviors (e.g. cardioprotective, neuroprotective and hepatoprotective). In addition. they can be used as virueides, bactericides, fungicides, cytokine inducers and immunomodulators. The chemical and biological activity of organose leniumcompounds is discussed herein.
The strategies and methods for the preparation of biologically relevant small molecules containing selenium are reviewed in this chapter. The unique redox properties of selenium confer catalytic activity to organoselenium compounds and influence their biological properties as well as the methods selected for their preparation. The approaches available to obtain organoselenium compounds, including reaction of elemental selenium or diselenides with different types of carbanions or reaction of organic electrophiles with selenolate anions generated by different methods, are disclosed in this chapter.