Complexes gold-protein

Gold biochemistry has seen much development in recent years. The interaction of gold complexes with proteins and mitochondria, the possible role(s) of gold(III) in vivo, and the potential for developing future therapies using gold nanopartides are... 

First mention of gold-protein complexing and interaction with light. 

Silver, one of the native metals and second only to gold in its stability amongst the metals of antiquity, has provided several therapeutic agents which have been employed since the beginning of recorded history. These agents range from the metal itself, its salts and complexes with proteins and other macromolecules to the latest, AgSD. 

The ease of use of these proteins is another advantage. They are simply adsorbed onto the gold surface of crystals and after a simple washing step are ready for use. The gold-protein bond has an association constant of 10 M and is beheved to be van der Waals in nature [6]. The gold-protein complex has been shown to be stable at pH 2-8 [7]. Enhanced binding of protein A has also been reported near its isoelectric point (pH 5.5) [8], but it is unclear from the author s work if this was just due to longer incubation times. 

These bis(thiolato)gold(I) complexes are useful models for providing insights into the chemistry of the end products of the reactions between 1 1 gold thiolates and any excess (including other) thiol, including some reactions with proteins in vivo. 

---