Small molecule selenium-based Glutathione Peroxidase 4 mimetic inhibits lipid peroxidation and protects cultured neurons from ferroptosis.

Selenium is a nutrient necessary for the body to produce glutathione, a molecule that helps lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in cells.

A specific chemical compound, Compound 5, can prevent a form of cell death called ferroptosis in nerve cells even when a key protective molecule, glutathione, is absent. This suggests it works through a different biological pathway than the known glutathione-dependent system.

A specific selenium-containing compound can replicate the ability of the enzyme GPX4 to reduce lipid hydroperoxides in neurons grown in laboratory cultures, and it does so through a different biochemical pathway than other selenium compounds that target hydrogen peroxide.

A synthetic selenium compound reduces specific lipid damage in human brain cells grown in the lab and prevents cell death caused by oxidative stress and nutrient deprivation by chemically breaking down a harmful lipid molecule.

In laboratory-grown nerve cells, Compound 5 reduces cell death caused by ferroptosis more effectively than Ebselen, when cell death is triggered by several different chemical agents.

Scientists can design selenium-containing molecules that function like the enzyme GPX4 by adjusting their chemical structure, allowing them to target specific lipid molecules in cell membranes instead of simpler molecules like hydrogen peroxide.