title: The use of a scanning proton microprobe to observe anti-HIV drugs within cells.
abstract: A series of inorganic polyanions (viz. heteropolytungstates) has been shown to have antiviral activity but there was no evidence to indicate that the drugs reached their site of antiviral (HIV) activity intact. We have shown that with a scanning proton microprobe it is possible to analyse the metal content of individual cells (PBLs) treated with such a polyoxometalate drug and to determine the atomic ratio of the metals within the cell. This was found to be near that in the drug. The distribution of the metals (tungsten and cobalt) within the cell was measured and it was shown that both metals were located in the same region within the cell. These findings would suggest that the drug had entered the cells intact.
authors.affiliation: Micro Analytical Research Centre (MARC), School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cholewa
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Legge
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weigold
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holan
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Birch
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003035:Cobalt / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D006678:HIV / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D010772:Phosphotungstic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods*; D014414:Tungsten / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; C087353:K10(Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2) nH2O; D010772:Phosphotungstic Acid; D010758:Phosphorus; D003035:Cobalt; D011188:Potassium; D014414:Tungsten