Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;80(7):647-657.
doi: 10.1007/s00393-021-01017-z. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

[Colchicine: old medication with new benefits : Use in rheumatology and beyond]

[Article in German]
Z Boyadzhieva  1 , N Ruffer  2 , M Krusche  3
Affiliations

[Colchicine: old medication with new benefits : Use in rheumatology and beyond]

[Article in German]
Z Boyadzhieva et al. Z Rheumatol. 2021 Sep.

Abstract
in English, German

Colchicine, the toxin of the autumn crocus, has various anti-inflammatory effects. For this reason, it is being used for the treatment of several autoinflammatory diseases, such as gout or familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). In addition, some interesting studies have been published which suggest the benefits of colchicine in cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, various anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches are currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19. First publications suggest a potential benefit of colchicine in certain disease phases of the virus infection. This article provides an overview of the mechanisms of action, benefits and side effects as well as the various possible uses of colchicine in rheumatology. Furthermore, a brief preview of potential new areas for use of the drug, which are also of interest to rheumatologists, are presented.

Colchicin, das Gift der Herbstzeitlosen, hat verschiedene antiinflammatorische Effekte. Aus diesem Grund kommt es zur Behandlung von rheumatologischen Erkrankungen aus dem autoinflammatorischen Formenkreis, wie z. B. der Arthritis urica oder dem familiären Mittelmeerfieber (FMF), zum Einsatz. Darüber hinaus gibt es erste Daten, die einen positiven Nutzen von Colchicin bei kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen nahelegen. Des Weiteren werden aktuell verschiedene antiinflammatorische Therapieansätze in der COVID-19-Behandlung in Studien erprobt. Hier gibt es ebenfalls erste Publikationen, die einen potenziellen Nutzen von Colchicin in bestimmten Krankheitsphasen der Virusinfektion nahe legen. Dieser Beitrag will einen Überblick über die Wirkweise, den Nutzen und Nebenwirkungen sowie die verschiedenen Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Colchicin in der Rheumatologie geben. Weiterhin soll ein kurzer Ausblick in neue Einsatzgebiete dieses Medikamentes gegeben werden.

Keywords: Autoinflammation; Autumn crocus; COVID-19; Cardiovascular disease; Neutrophil granulocytes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Nuki G. Colchicine: its mechanism of action and efficacy in crystal-induced inflammation. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2008;10(3):218–227. doi: 10.1007/s11926-008-0036-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cronstein BN, et al. Colchicine alters the quantitative and qualitative display of selectins on endothelial cells and neutrophils. J Clin Invest. 1995;96(2):994–1002. doi: 10.1172/JCI118147. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Paschke S, et al. Technical advance: inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis by colchicine is modulated through viscoelastic properties of subcellular compartments. J Leukoc Biol. 2013;94(5):1091–1096. doi: 10.1189/jlb.1012510. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marques-da-Silva C, et al. Colchicine inhibits cationic dye uptake induced by ATP in P2X2 and P2X7 receptor-expressing cells: implications for its therapeutic action. Br J Pharmacol. 2011;163(5):912–926. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01254.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stewart S, et al. Adverse events during oral colchicine use: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Arthritis Res Ther. 2020;22(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s13075-020-2120-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed