AUROCYANIDE: USEFUL DRUG OR ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD?

McKay, A. R., Ng, J. C. and Whitehouse, M. W. (2007). AUROCYANIDE: USEFUL DRUG OR ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD?. In: C G Sobey and S Smid, 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. SEAWP-RMP Joint meeting 10th Southeast Asian Western Pacific Regional Meeting of Pharmacologists with HBPRCA, Adelaide Hilton, Adelaide, S A, (). December 2 - 6, 2007.

Author McKay, A. R.
Ng, J. C.
Whitehouse, M. W.
Title of paper AUROCYANIDE: USEFUL DRUG OR ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD?
Conference Paper Type Fully Published Paper
Conference name SEAWP-RMP Joint meeting 10th Southeast Asian Western Pacific Regional Meeting of Pharmacologists with HBPRCA
Conference location Adelaide Hilton, Adelaide, S A
Conference dates December 2 - 6, 2007
Convener ASCEPT (Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists)
Proceedings title 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
Editor C G Sobey
S Smid
Place published Victoria, Australia
Publisher ASCEPT
Publication date 2007
Year available 2007
Volume number 12
ISSN 1322-4530
Collection year 2008
Language eng
Abstract/Summary The very stable aurocyanide (ACN) anion, Au(CN)2- is a urinary metabolite of gold-(I) thiolate drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (Elder et al, 1993). It is also copiously produced in extracting gold from ores by ‘heap-leaching’ with aqueous NaCN (Eisler, 2004). Preliminary studies have indicated ACN is both an anti-inflammatory and an anti-arthritic drug in rats, i.e. it is biologically active (Whitehouse et al, 2006). The potential hazard of environmental ACN to aquatic organisms remains unclear. We have investigated the toxicity of ACN in a model cell system using the fresh water alga Euglena gracilis and compared its potency with known harmful elements such as arsenic and cadmium commonly found in mine waste. E. gracilis strains Z and SMZ were incubated with ACN at 0, 2.4, 4.9, 9.8, 19.5, 39, 78, 156 and 312µM for up to 48h. Cell growth was monitored spectroscopically at 490nm in the presence of the MTS reagent and also at 610nm. For the Z strain, the ACN concentrations producing a 50% reduction in cell growth rate (IC50) were 12µM and 14µM at 24h at 610nm and 490nm respectively; and after 48h, the IC50s were 24µM and 20µM. For the SMZ strain, the IC50s were 14µM and 11µM respectively, being determined after 24h growth. These IC50s of ACN indicate that for E. gracilis, ACN has a higher toxicity than sodium arsenite, and similar potency to cadmium chloride. They suggest that ACN in mine wastes could be an environmental hazard for aquatic organisms. Its mammalian toxicity also requires further investigation.
Subjects 730299 Public health not elsewhere classified
320504 Toxicology (incl. Clinical Toxicology)
300804 Environmental Impact Assessment
EX
Q-Index Code EX
Additional Notes Removed from HERDC - abstract only

Document type: Conference Paper
Sub-type: Fully Published Paper
Collections: Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) - Collection
National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology Publications
 
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Created: Wed, 14 May 2008, 15:23:19 EST by Marie-Louise Moore on behalf of National Res Centre For Environmental Toxicology