Aurothioglucose

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of various skeletal bone joints of the body. These attacks are facilitated by various pro-inflammatory immune cells and agents like cytokines, histamines, mast cells, macrophages, monocytes, lymphocytes, leukocytes, and many others. The longterm result of this unwanted immune response is chronic inflammation and painful tissue damage. The cause of the malfunctioning immune system in rheumatoid arthritis is unknown and there is no definitive cure for the condition.

Similarly, the mechanism of action of aurothioglucose is also not well elucidated. Nevertheless, some studies have suggested that the combination of both the sulfhydryl ligand and aureus cation present in aurothioglucose elicits an inhibitory effect on adenylyl cyclase activity in human lymphocyte membranes and in membranes of T and B lymphocyte subsets. In particular, such inhibition of the activity of adenylyl cyclase and its various isoforms would theoretically also limit the cyclases' ability to induce mast cell degranulation and histamine release, to enhance respiratory burst effects, to stimulate the action of resting macrophages, to induce and activate phagocytes, to induce neutrophil chemotaxis, etc. - all of which are pro-inflammatory actions.