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In vitro liberation of charged gold atoms: autometallographic tracing of gold ions released by macrophages grown on metallic gold surfaces

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Abstract

The present study demonstrates that cultured macrophages are able to liberate gold ions from metallic gold surfaces, a process suggested to be called “dissolucytosis”, in a way analogous to the release taking place when metallic implants are placed in a body. Using the ultra-sensitive autometallographic (AMG) technique, we demonstrate that murine macrophages grown on a surface of metallic gold liberate gold ions. Ultra-structural AMG reveals that the gold ions are located in an ultra-thin membrane-like structure, “the dissolution membrane”, intervened between the macrophages and the metal surface. The presence of AMG silver enhanced gold nanoparticles in the dissolution membrane proves that the release of charged gold atoms takes place extracellularly. The dissolution membrane is most likely secreted and chemically controlled by the “dissolucytes”, here macrophages, and the membrane is essential for the dissolution of metal implants and particles, which cannot be phagocytosed. Our findings support the notion that whenever a metallic gold surface is attacked by dissolucytes, gold ions are liberated and taken up by surrounding cells. As gold ions can suppress the inflammatory process, it is reasonable to expect that when dissolucytosis takes place in the living organism the liberated gold ions will cause local immunosuppression.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the technical assistance provided by Dorete Jensen, Albert Meier, Lene Munkøe, Majken Sand, Janne Svejstrup and Karin Wiedemann. Professor emeritus Svend Erik Rasmussen is most gratefully acknowledged for supplying us with valuable insight into the chemistry of gold. We are grateful for the financial support from Aase and Ejnar Danielsen Foundation, the Hede Nielsen Foundatuion, the Faculty of Health Science at Aarhus University, The Aarhus University Research Foundation and Direktør Jacob Madsen og Hustru Olga Madsens Foundation.

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Correspondence to Gorm Danscher.

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Larsen, A., Stoltenberg, M. & Danscher, G. In vitro liberation of charged gold atoms: autometallographic tracing of gold ions released by macrophages grown on metallic gold surfaces. Histochem Cell Biol 128, 1–6 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-007-0295-5

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