Diphenyl diselenide protects rat hippocampal slices submitted to oxygen-glucose deprivation and diminishes inducible nitric oxide synthase immunocontent.

Diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)2 is an organic selenium compound that has been little studied. In this study we investigated the effects of (PhSe)2 (0.1-3 microM) in a classical model of in vitro brain ischemia, which consists of exposing rat hippocampal slices to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Hippocampal slices were exposed for 60 min to OGD and the cellular viability (performed by MTT assay) as well as the immunocontent of nitric oxide synthase inducible (iNOS) were evaluated after 180 min of a recovery period. OGD decreased cellular viability by 50% and increased more than twice the immunocontent of iNOS of hippocampal slices. (PhSe)2 (1 and 3 microM) added during OGD and the recovery period abolished both effects. These results demonstrate for the first time the neuroprotective effects of (PhSe)2. Although the selenium analog--ebselen--has been widely used in ischemia models, our results suggest that other selenoorganic compounds could be investigated as pharmacological tools against brain disorders.