Glutathione analogs and paralog panels comprising glutathione mimics

A panel comprising at least five diverse tripeptide glutathione analogs of the formula:

• ##STR7## or the alkyl (1-10C), alkenyl (1-10C), or arylalkyl (7-12C) esters or amides or salts including the cycloamido forms thereof;
• wherein Z is selected from the group consisting of S, O and CH.sub.2 ;
• wherein n is 1 or 2;
• wherein when Z is O or CH.sub.2 or is S and n is 1, X is H, a mono- or disubstituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon radical (1-20C) optionally containing 1 or 2 nonadjacent heteroatoms (O, S or N), and wherein said substitution is selected from the group consisting of halo, --NO, --NO.sub.2, --NR.sub.2, OR, and SR, wherein R is H or lower alkyl (1-4C);
• when Z is S and n is 2, one X is as above defined (except H), and the other X is lower alkyl (1-4C);
• Y is selected from the group consisting of ##STR8## wherein m is 1 or 2;
• and AA.sub.C is selected from the group consisting of glycine, valine, alanine, .beta.-alanine, 4-aminobutyric acid, aspartic acid, phenyl glycine, histidine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, wherein the phenyl group of phenylalanine or phenyl glycine may optionally contain a single substitution selected from the group consisting of halo, OR, and SR, wherein R is H or alkyl (1-4C) linked through a peptide bond to the remainder of the compound;
• wherein said compounds have diverse properties.

A compound of the formula ##STR9## or the alkyl (1-10C), alkenyl (1-10C), or arylalkyl (7-12C) esters or amides or salts thereof;

• wherein Z is selected from the group consisting of S, O and CH.sub.2 ;
• wherein n is 1;
• wherein X is a mono- di- or trisubstituted benzyl wherein said substitution is selected from the group consisting of R', halo, NO, NO.sub.2, NH.sub.2, OR, and SR, wherein R' is alkyl (1-6C), alkenyl (1-6C) or alkynyl (1-6C), R is H or alkyl (1-6C);
• Y--CO is .gamma.-Glu;
• and
• AA.sub.C is phenylGly linked through a peptide bond to the remainder of the compound.