New structures able to prevent the inhibition by hydroxyl radicals of glutamate transport in cultured astrocytes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0223-5234(99)80011-7

4,5,6,7-Tetrahydro-benzothiophen-7-ylamines, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro- benzothiophen-4-ylamines, and 5,6-dihydro-4H-thieno[2,3-b] thiopyran-4- ylamines were designed, synthesized, and tested as OH radical scavengers. Most of them displayed chemical scavenging properties better than or in the same range as salicylic acid. Moreover, some compounds were able to protect in vitro the astroglial glutamate transporters against inhibitory action of radicals promoted by xanthine/xanthine oxidase. Thus, such compounds might be useful for lowering the large amounts of excitotoxic glutamate liberated during acute CNS diseases: they might protect the glutamate reuptake in astrocytes from the inhibitory action due to radicals co-liberated with glutamate.