Therapeutic applications of low-molecular-weight thiols and selenocompounds

This chapter discusses the pharmacological exploitation of low-molecular-weight thiol-containing molecules (LMW-SH) and a few selenocompounds with potential therapeutic use. Although the number of organoselenium molecules is huge, few of them have been tested in clinical trials. Most of the studies involving low-molecular-weight selenium-containing molecules (LMW-Se) are related to their modulatory effects on inflammation and redox balance. Nevertheless, the absence of studies demonstrating the speciation of selenium is a bottleneck. The LMW-SH molecules are essential to cellular milieu redox homeostasis. Considering that several diseases and/or toxicants can negatively modulate the redox balance, the use of endogenous and synthetic LMW-SH as therapeutic agents can be a promising strategy to treat pathologies associated with oxidative stress.