Free and total plasma, granulocyte and mononuclear cell colchicine concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 30 patients with familial Mediterranean fever treated with colchicine 0.5 to 2 mg day-1. Colchicine concentrations showed a large intersubject variability in plasma (0.13-1.75 ng ml-1), granulocytes (4 to 64 ng/10(9) cells), and mononuclear cells (11.4 to 57.6 ng/10(9) cells). ...

Results The study group comprised 221 FMF patients (116F, 105M) with a mean age of 12.7±5.3 years. Mean duration of colchicine use was 58.9±45.3 months. Patients were divided into two groups according to their colchicine response; Group I (n=131) included patients with no attacks after colchicine and Group II (n=90) patients with partial or no response to colchicine. Mean age, sex, age at disea...

The effect of colchicine on stalk elongation in the colonial peritrich ciliate Carchesium sp. has been investigated by growing this protozoon in colchicine-containing media. The length of the stalk in control cultures was 0-4-0-9 mm. In the presence of 2-5-125 mM colchicine, stalk elongation was inhibited, and stalk length was inversely proportional to colchicine concentration. At concentration...

Colchicine was found to have a strong inhibitory effect on amyloid induction in an animal model. When CBA/J mice were treated with colchicine concurrently with the amyloid induction regimen, the incidence of amyloidosis was, depending upon the dosage of colchicine, significantly decreased (0.005-0.010 mg colchicine per day) or completely blocked (more than 0.015 mg colchicine per day). The colc...

Microtubules have been shown to alter contraction in cardiac myocytes through changes in cellular stiffness. However, an effect on excitation-contraction coupling has not been examined. Here we analyze the effects of microtubule disruption by 1 mmol/L colchicine on calcium currents (ICa) and [Ca ]i transients in rat ventricular myocytes. ICa was studied using the whole-cell patch-clamp techniqu...

Colchicine-induced leukopenia usually occurrs in intentional or accidental overdoses or inappropriate use in combination with intravenous and oral colchine; however, there have been several reports of hematologic toxicity in short-term and small-dose colchicine medication courses. We present two cases of leukopenia induced by colchicine use concurrent with immunosuppressants in Behçet's disease...

Colchicine is a relatively safe medication that is widely used for both prevention and treatment of gout attack. However, serious adverse events, including myoneuropathy and multiorgan failure, have been reported. We report a case of colchicine-induced myoneuropathy in a female kidney transplant recipient who had been taking cyclosporine. She developed gastrointestinal discomfort and paresthesi...

BACKGROUND Colchicine poisoning is commonly lethal. Colchicine-specific Fab fragments increase rat urinary colchicine clearance and have been associated with a good outcome in one patient. We aimed to develop a porcine model of colchicine toxicity to study the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ovine Fab. METHODS A Göttingen minipig critical care model was established and serial blood samples t...

A Silastic cuff containing either colchicine (1% w/v) or no colchicine was placed around the lingual disorder tympani nerve of the Mongolian gerbil. After 3 days of exposure to colchicine, the mean period of the myelin sheaths was 23% less than the period observed in nerves treated with cuffs lacking colchicine, while the average number of lamellae was unaltered. At the same time colchicine red...