Phenacylselenoesters allow facile selenium transfer and hydrogen selenide generation.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen selenide (H₂Se) is a precursor to several selenium-containing biomolecules and is emerging as an important redox-active species in biology, with yet to be completely characterized roles. Tools that reliably generate H₂Se are key to achieving a better understanding of selenium biology. Here, we report the design, synthesis and evaluation of phenacylselenoesters as sources of H₂Se. These compounds are prepared in two steps from commercial compounds, some are crystalline solids, and all are stable during storage. In the presence of esterase and a thiol in pH 7.4 buffer, these compounds produce H₂Se, with half-lives of 5-20 min. We developed a colorimetric assay for the detection of gaseous H₂Se by trapping it as zinc selenide (Zn

SUBMITTER: Sarkar UD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11575540 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature