II. Unbound versus total serum gold concentration: pharmacological actions on cellular function.

Unbound serum gold (UBSG) has received little attention, possibly because of rapid in vivo decay and in vivo concentration below the range of existing analytical procedures. We have recently developed a methodology enabling quantitation and study of UBSG during chrysotherapy to assess effects on cellular functions. UBSG after gold administration is labile, declining rapidly after attaining peak values at which lymphocyte mitogen response and polymorphonuclear phagocytosis were observed to be suppressed. Oral gold, i.e., auranofin, 3 mg BID as compared to systemic chrysotherapy 50 mg/wk, resulted in a higher percentage of UBSG to total serum gold.