Conjugates of dithiocarbamate disulfides with pharmacologically active agents and uses therefor

A method for the in vivo reduction of free radical levels in a subject, said method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a composition comprising

• i. a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier,
• ii. a compound having the structure (I) as follows:
• R1R2N—C(S)—S—S—(S)C—NR2R1 (I)
• wherein:
• each of R1 and R2 is independently selected from a C1 up to C18 alkyl, substituted alkyl, a cycloalkyl, a substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, a substituted heterocyclic, an alkenyl, a substituted alkenyl, an alkynyl, a substituted alkynyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, an heteroaryl, a substituted heteroaryl, an alkylaryl, a substituted alkylaryl, an arylalkyl, and a substituted arylalkyl, or
• wherein R1 and R2 cooperate to form a 5-, 6- or 7-membered ring including N, R1 and R2 or
• R1 or R2 is a divalent moiety selected from the group consisting of an alkylene, a substituted alkylene, an oxyalkylene, a substituted oxyalkylene, an alkenylene, a substituted alkenylene, an arylene, a substituted arylene, an alkarylene, a substituted alkarylene, an aralkylene and a substituted aralkylene, wherein said divalent moiety serves as the same substituent for two dithiocarbamate structures, thereby linking said structures together so as to form a bis(dithiocarbamate), and
• iii. optionally, a reducing agent to reduce the disulfide bond in the dithiocarbamate,
• wherein the composition is administered so as to bind free radicals in the subject.