Gold compounds chrysotherapy

Example auranofm (Ridaura) (gold compound [chrysotherapy]) Route PO/IM Pregnancy category C Pharmacokinetic Absorbed from the GI tract, metabolized in the liver, and primarily excreted in urine PB 60%... 

All the gold compounds used in therapy today (chrysotherapy) are Au(I) compounds (45-47) (10-14). Gold has an intriguing chemistry dominated hy relativistic effects (48) and it is interesting to consider the reasons why Au(III) complexes are not used as anticancer agents like those of Pt(II) are used. 

Chrysotherapy was not readily accepted in the United States As late as 1934, Cecil reported that drugs played a relatively minor role in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and that his experience with gold compounds had never shown striking results (19) ... 

Gold compounds were originally brought into clinical use accidentally for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (l.> However, controlled clinical trials ( ) confirmed their effectiveness, and gold therapy ("chrysotherapy ) is now considered to be as good as that using any other drug for the difficult cases, and one of the few that can lead to repair of joint tissue. 

Gold compounds have been used in medicine for centuries, an application known as chrysotherapy. Since 1940, however, complexes of gold have been used most successfully to treat arthritic disorders in humans and other animals. Au(I) compounds are currently the only class of pharmaceuticals known to halt the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. 

Chrysotherapy Treatment of disease with gold compounds. 

The two best-known therapies involving kinetically inert coordination compounds are chrysotherapy (treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with gold compounds) and the relatively new treatment of certain cancers with platinum compounds. 

The modern medicinal use of gold, termed chrysotherapy, is covered in Chapter 10 of this book. However, while these applications mainly deal with the use of gold compounds, there are a number of uses of the metal itself in bulk form that merit mentioning. These applications relate to the excellent biocompatibility of the metal in the human body. 

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