Aurosomes produced by sodium chloroaurate

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Aurosomes are gold-containing deposits observed in tissues treated with gold salts.
• The morphology of aurosomes has been linked to the sulfur-containing components of soluble gold salts.
• Previous studies suggested sulfur is crucial for characteristic aurosome formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the morphology of aurosomes formed by sodium chloroaurate, a non-sulfur-containing gold salt.
• To determine if sulfur is essential for the characteristic morphology of aurosomes.
• To identify the elemental composition of aurosomes formed by sodium chloroaurate.

Main Methods:

• Induction of aurosomes in rabbit synovial membranes by injecting sodium chloroaurate.
• Morphological analysis of aurosomes using electron microscopy.
• Elemental analysis of aurosomes using electron-probe x-ray analysis.

Main Results:

• Aurosomes produced by sodium chloroaurate exhibited electron-dense, filamentous, rod-like, and lamellar structures.
• The morphology of these aurosomes was indistinguishable from those produced by sulfur-containing gold salts.
• Electron-probe x-ray analysis revealed the presence of gold, phosphorus, and sulfur in the aurosomes.

Conclusions:

• The sulfur-containing moiety of gold salts is not responsible for the characteristic morphology of aurosomes.
• Phosphorus and sulfur found in aurosomes likely originate from the biological environment, not the injected compound.
• This challenges previous claims regarding the role of sulfur in aurosome formation.