Control of intra- and extra-cellular sulphydryl-disulphide balances with gold phosphine drugs: 31P nuclear magnetic resonance studies of human blood.

Contrasting reactions of the antiarthritic complexes ClAuPEt3 and ClAu(PEt3)2 with blood have been studied by 31P nmr spectroscopy. The monophosphine complex has two binding sites in erythrocytes, probably at the SH groups of glutathione and haemoglobin. The bis complex solidifies blood via a reductive denaturation of albumin, with the release of OPet3.