In vitro glutathione peroxidase mimicry of ebselen is linked to its oxidation of critical thiols on key cerebral suphydryl proteins – A novel component of its GPx-mimic antioxidant mechanism emerging from its thiol-modulated toxicology and pharmacology

•Ebselen (⩾42μM) inhibits lipid peroxidation in the presence and absence of DTT.•However, ebselen inhibits deoxyribose degradation only in the presence of DTT.•Ebselen (⩽40μM), inhibits thiol enzymes and DTT prevented and reversed this effect.•So in vitro GPx antioxidant mimic of ebselen may involves thiol oxidation on proteins.•Hence, in vitro toxicity and pharmacology of ebselen likely evoke a futile cycle. The antioxidant mechanism of ebselen in rats brain is largely linked with its glutathione peroxidase (GPx) rather than its peroxiredoxin mimicry ability. However, the precise molecular dynamics between the GPx-mimicry of ebselen and thiol utilization is yet to be fully clarified and thus still open. Herein, we investigated the influence of dithiothreitol (DTT) on the antioxidant action of ebselen against oxidant-induced cerebral lipid peroxidation and deoxyribose degradation. Furthermore, the critical inhibitory concentrations of ebselen on the activities of sulphydryl enzymes such as cerebral sodium pump, δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also investigated. We observe that ebselen (at ⩾42μM) markedly inhibited lipid peroxidation in the presence and absence of DTT, whereas it inhibited deoxyribose degradation only in the presence of DTT. Furthermore, under in vitro conditions, ebselen inhibited the thiol containing enzymes; cerebral sodium pump (at ⩾40μM), δ-ALAD (⩾10μM) and LDH (⩾1μM) which were either prevented or reversed by DTT. However, the inhibition of the activities of these sulphydryl proteins in diabetic animals was prevented by ebselen. Summarily, it is apparent that the effective in vitro inhibitory doses of ebselen on the activity of the sulphydryl proteins are far less than its antioxidant doses. In addition, the presence of DTT is evidently a critical requirement for ebselen to effect its antioxidant action against deoxyribose degeradation and not lipid peroxidation. Consequently, we conclude that ebselen possibly utilizes available thiols on sulphydryl proteins to effect its GPx mimicry antioxidant action against lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenate.