Gold complex research in medical science. Difficulties with experimental design |
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Authors: | W F Kean C J L Lock H Howard-Lock |
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Institution: | (1) Rheumatic Disease Unit and Laboratories for Inorganic Medicine, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, L8N 3Z5 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | Despite the use of gold complexes in modern medicine for over 100 years and the use of gold complexes in the management of
rheumatoid disease for more than 60 years, the definitive mechanisms of action for efficacy and for toxicity have not been
established.
Gold is a group 1b metal in the periodic table with several oxidation states but it is only Au(I) which is active in the biological
milieu. Gold sodium thiomalate is not only a polymeric structure, but also has the chiral ligand, thiomalic acid. Gold sodium
thiomalate thus can exist in several different physical states which may have different biological activity. In addition the
pharmacokinetic profile of gold complexes has been of little value in the understanding of either the mechanism of action,
efficacy or toxicity for both the injectable and the oral gold complexes. Many authors have misinterpreted research data on
the activities of gold complexes because they compared gold complexes of different structures, and gold complexes which exist
at different pH.
Experimental work in our laboratory has identified that gold sodium thiomalate is a mixture and can exist as either a yellow
or a colourless solution. These have some similar but several different biological activities.
Many factors contribute to the lack of understanding of the action of gold complexes. Some of these factors are related to
the wide variation in physical structure and biological activities exhibited by these compounds. |
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Keywords: | arthritis DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) gold thiomalate sodium salt gold chloride history history |
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