Organoselenium compounds as antioxidants

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for many of civilization's diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease, decomposition of products in the food industry, and deterioration of physicochemical properties of polymers and nanomaterials. In recent years, several organoselenium compounds have been synthesized and used as peroxide scavengers, which are the source of many antioxidant substances. This review aims to collect and divide the organoselenium compounds obtained in the last twelve years with antioxidant activity, which can prove helpful in a) medicine as supplements preventing diseases caused by oxidative stress, b) as food additives preventing oxidation, or c) in the materials industry as Se-containing nanoparticles and polymers. In addition, the most common methods for determining GPx-like antioxidant activity are presented.