Colchicine in tear fluid of treated patients with familial Mediterranean fever.
OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to determine whether detectable concentrations of colchicine are present in the tear fluid of treated patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and thus demonstrate a possible route by which colchicine reaches the corneal surface.


METHODS
Tear fluid samples (50-100 microL) were collected from eight FMF patients on long-term colchicine treatment. Colchicine tear fluid concentrations were determined in all patients by radioimmunoassay using goat anticolchicine antibodies and [3H]colchicine (Dupont, Wilmington, DE).


RESULTS
Detectable concentrations of colchicine, with no apparent effect on the ocular surface, were found in all tear fluid samples (median, 0.46 ng/mL; range, 0.24-1.05 ng/mL).


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence of the route by which colchicine, given systemically, reaches the corneal surface and thus gives credence to the possible inhibitory effect of this drug on corneal wound healing in the cases described in the literature.
Leibovitch
Igal
I
Department of Ophthalmology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. lleibo@bezeqint.net
Alster
Yair
Y
Scherrmann
Jean Michel
JM
Azmon
Barak
B
Barequet
Irina S
IS
Livneh
Avi
A
O'Brien
Terrence P
TP
Lazar
Moshe
M
Loewenstein
Anat
A
D000328:Adult; D003078:Colchicine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013666:Tears / Q000737:chemistry*
D006074:Gout Suppressants; D003078:Colchicine