Colchicine
Medication mainly used to treat gout / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout[3][4] and Behçet's disease.[5] For gout, it is less preferred than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroids.[3] Other uses for colchicine include the management of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever.[3][6] Colchicine is taken by mouth.[3]
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Pronunciation | /ˈkɒltʃɪsiːn/ KOL-chiss-een |
Trade names | Colcrys, Mitigare, others |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a682711 |
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Routes of administration | By mouth |
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Bioavailability | 45% |
Protein binding | 35-44% |
Metabolism | Metabolism, partly by CYP3A4 |
Elimination half-life | 26.6-31.2 hours |
Excretion | Feces (65%) |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.544 |
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Formula | C22H25NO6 |
Molar mass | 399.443 g·mol−1 |
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Colchicine has a narrow therapeutic index, so overdosing is a significant risk. Common side effects of colchicine include gastrointestinal upset, particularly at high doses.[7] Severe side effects may include pancytopenia (low blood cell counts) and rhabdomyolysis, and the medication can be deadly in overdose.[3] Whether colchicine is safe for use during pregnancy is unclear, but its use during breastfeeding appears to be safe.[3][8] Colchicine works by decreasing inflammation via multiple mechanisms.[9]
Colchicine, in the form of the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), was used as early as 1500 BC to treat joint swelling.[10] It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1961.[2] It is available as a generic medication.[8] In 2021, it was the 184th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2 million prescriptions.[11][12]
Colchicine is widely used in plant breeding to induce polyploidy, in which the number of chromosomes in plant cells are doubled. This frequently results in larger, hardier, faster-growing, and in general more desirable plants than the normally diploid parents.[13]