title: Colchicine: an old wine in a new bottle?
abstract: Although colchicine, a natural product, is one of the oldest drugs still currently available, its possible functions seem to be surprisingly not well-known. Beyond its present medicinal use (gout, familial Mediterranean fever, Behcet's disease, chondrocalcinosis and other crystal arthritis), numerous other conditions have been recently proposed for the use of this drug, including pericardial diseases. However, colchicine appears as a double-edged sword, with underestimated toxicity and frequent side effects. In this review, we present the main pharmacologic features of this drug, with an emphasis on toxicity and highlight its possible applications in the cardiovascular field.
authors.affiliation: Montreal Heart Institute, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. francois.roubille@gmail.com
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roubille
authors.forename: Ekaterini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kritikou
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Busseuil
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barrere-Lemaire
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tardif
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D003078:Colchicine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006073:Gout / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003078:Colchicine