THE USE OF A SCANNING PROTON MICROPROBE TO OBSERVE ANTI-HIV DRUGS WITHIN CELLS

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 t o analyse the metal content of individual cells (PBLs) treated with su ch a polyoxometalate drug and to determine the atomic ratio of the met als within the cell. This was found to be near that in the drug. The d istribution of the metals (tungsten and cobalt) within the cell was me asured and it was shown that both metals were located in the same regi on within the cell. These findings would suggest that the drug had ent ered the cells intact.