ArticleMolecular neurobiology2026
2-Phenyl-3-(Phenylselanyl)Benzofuran As a Promising Antidepressant Candidate: Mechanistic Insights Into Nitrergic Modulation and Subchronic Efficacy and Safety Profiling.
Article in Molecular neurobiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The compound 2-phenyl-3-(phenylselanyl)benzofuran (SeBZF1), a selenium-containing molecule based on a benzofuran scaffold, has shown antidepressant-like effects. This study investigated the involvement of the nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway, the efficacy of subchronic treatment in male Swiss mice, and computational analyses. Acute SeBZF1 administration (50 mg/kg, i.g.) showed antidepressant-like effects in the tail suspension test (TST). These effects were reversed by pretreatment with L-arginine (a NO precursor, 750 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, i.p.) or sildenafil (a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, 5 mg/kg, i.p.), suggesting NO-cGMP pathway involvement. A subeffective dose of SeBZF1 (1 mg/kg, i.g.) elicited synergistic antidepressant-like effects when combined with N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) or 7-nitroindazole (a specific neuronal NOS inhibitor, 30 mg/kg, i.p.). Furthermore, methylene blue (an inhibitor of NOS and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), 10 mg/kg, i.p.) and 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, a sGC inhibitor, 30 pmol/site, intracerebroventricular), both soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) inhibitors, enhanced the subeffective SeBZF1 dose. Subchronic SeBZF1 treatment (1 mg/kg, i.g., for 35 days) significantly produced antidepressant-like action without causing weight loss or organ damage. Biochemical analysis revealed reduced nitrate/nitrite levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, indicating modulation of NO signaling. Molecular docking suggested interactions between SeBZF1 and NOS isoforms, while pharmacokinetic analysis suggested brain penetration and absence of overt toxicity. The present study concludes that SeBZF1 exhibits antidepressant-like effects through the NO-cGMP pathway, is effective at low subchronic doses, and displays favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles, supporting its potential as a novel antidepressant candidate.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.