title: The aurosome.
abstract: Aurosomes are lysosomal bodies containing gold. Colloidal gold produces aurosomes containing spherical electron-dense granules. Soluble gold salts produce aurosomes containing lamellar, filamentous and rod-like profiles studded with particles and granules. This morphological pattern is quite distinctive, and is not affected or altered by which particular soluble gold salt is administered, by which route it is administered or in which species or cell type the aurosome occurs. In the skin of patients treated with soluble gold salts the characteristics electron-dense formations indicating the presence of gold are often found in compound melanosomes and other lysosomes in the dermal macrophages; while in the synovial membrane these characteristic electron-dense deposits are seen in the numerous lysosomes that develop in the rheumatoid synovial membrane. Thus it would appear that while aurosomes may vary somewhat in morphology, the electron dense contents indicating the presence of gold have a fairly constant morphology.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D006051:Aurothioglucose / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006046:Gold; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012971:Gold Sodium Thiosulfate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000032:analysis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011817:Rabbits; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate; D006051:Aurothioglucose; D006046:Gold; D012971:Gold Sodium Thiosulfate