Colchicine
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Summary
Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat gout, a type of arthritic inflammation. Colchicine achieves this reduction in inflammation by blocking microtubule polymerization, which impairs the inflammatory response of neutrophils. Clinically, colchicine is first-line in the acute treatment of gout flares, along with NSAIDs. Patients taking colchicine commonly experience GI side effects like abdominal pain, as well as nausea and vomiting.
Key Points
- Colchicine
- Mechanism
- Inhibits microtubule polymerization
- Binds and stabilizes tubulin, preventing its aggregation
- Impairs neutrophil migration (chemotaxis), phagocytosis, degranulation
- Also inhibits leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production
- Inhibits microtubule polymerization
- Indications/Clinical Use
- Acts as Anti-inflammatory agent
- Treats Acute and Chronic gout
- First-line along with NSAIDs for acute gout flares
- Reduced inflammatory response to uric acid crystals
- Adverse Effects
- Causes Gastrointestinal irritation
- Causes agranulocytosis
- Causes myopathy
- Avoid in people with impaired renal function or elderly (more toxicity)
- Mechanism