The effect of gold sodium thiomalate and auranofin on lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1 production by blood monocytes in vitro: variation in healthy subjects and patients with arthritis.

Abstract

The anti-rheumatic gold compounds gold sodium thiomalate (GST) and auranofin (AF) have variable and often unpredictable effects in patients treated for arthritis. As inhibition of interleukin-1 (IL-1) production may be an important effect of these drugs, we investigated their effect on IL-1 production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated monocytes in a serum-free, non-adherent culture system. A bi-modal effect was observed: low concentrations (GST 10-250 ng/ml and AF 1-100 ng/ml) potentiated IL-1 production, and higher concentrations (GST 200-1000 ng/ml and AF10-500 ng/ml) inhibited it. This bi-modal effect was observed for both secreted and cell-associated IL-1 activity with the exception..