Aurosomes produced by sodium chloroaurate.

Aurosomes were produced in the rabbit synovial membrane by injecting sodium chloroaurate. They contained electron-dense, filamentous, rod-like and lamellar profiles studded with particles and granules. These aurosomes are morphologically indistinguishable from aurosomes produced by sulphur-containing soluble gold salts such as sodium aurothiomalate and aurothioglucose. It is therefore concluded that the sulphur-containing portion of these molecules is not responsible for the characteristic morphology of the aurosome as claimed by others. However, electron-probe x-ray analysis of aurosomes produced by sodium chloroaurate showed the presence of gold, phosphorus and sulphur. It is concluded that the sulphur and phosphorus must have been derived from the biological milieu, since it could not have been derived from the injected compound.