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Effect of two gold compounds on lysosomes
1Department of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|June 1, 1988
Summary
Gold(I) compounds, sodium aurothiomalate and sodium aurothiosulphate, disrupt lysosomal membranes in vitro. Their beneficial effects in rheumatoid arthritis likely stem from mechanisms beyond lysosomal stabilization.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Lysosomes are key organelles involved in cellular degradation.
- Gold(I) compounds are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
- The in vitro effects of gold(I) compounds on lysosomal stability are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro effects of sodium aurothiomalate and sodium aurothiosulphate on lysosomal membrane stability.
- To compare the potencies of these two gold(I) compounds in disrupting lysosomes.
Main Methods:
- Isolated lysosomes from rat kidney cortex homogenates.
- Incubated lysosomes with varying concentrations of sodium aurothiomalate and sodium aurothiosulphate.
- Measured acid phosphatase activity as an indicator of lysosomal membrane integrity.
Main Results:
- Both gold(I) compounds enhanced acid phosphatase release from lysosomes in a dose-dependent manner.
- Sodium aurothiosulphate exhibited a more pronounced disruptive effect on lysosomes than sodium aurothiomalate.
- Both compounds inhibited acid phosphatase activity at high gold concentrations, with aurothiomalate showing a moderate effect and aurothiosulphate a weaker effect.
Conclusions:
- Sodium aurothiomalate and sodium aurothiosulphate destabilize lysosomal membranes in vitro.
- The therapeutic benefits of these gold(I) compounds in rheumatoid arthritis treatment may involve mechanisms independent of lysosomal membrane stabilization.