title: Colchicine in tear fluid of treated patients with familial Mediterranean fever.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. lleibo@bezeqint.net
authors.forename: Igal
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leibovitch
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Alster
authors.forename: Jean Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Scherrmann
authors.forename: Barak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Azmon
authors.forename: Irina S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Barequet
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Livneh
authors.forename: Terrence P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loewenstein
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D006074:Gout Suppressants; D003078:Colchicine