Disclosed are compounds having the structure:
wherein Z is —OH or —O•; and
A is:
wherein
- X and Y are independently NR1 or O, where
- R1 is H or C1-C4 alkyl; and
- R2 is H, C1-C4 alkyl or t-butoxycarbonyl,
- wherein W is C3-C4 alkynyl; and
- R1 is H or C1-C4 alkyl, or
- wherein R1 is H, C1-C4 alkyl, or C3-C4 alkynyl; and
- R3 is H, OH, O(C1-C4 alkyl), or a halogen,
optically active enantiomers, pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds or salts, and processes for their preparation. The subject invention also provides methods of alleviating symptoms of neurologic, autoimmune, and inflammatory disorders caused by the presence of reactive oxygen species, methods of preventing oxidation of lipids, proteins, or deoxyribonucleic acids on a cellular level, and methods of protecting human red blood cells from lysis by O2 radicals.