A drug used to treat gout (inflamed joints caused by a buildup of uric acid). It comes from the crocus plant Colchicum autumnale. Colchicine blocks cell division and the movement of certain immune cells to areas that are inflamed. It is a type of alkaloid and a type of mitotic inhibitor.

A general purpose reagent is a chemical reagent that has general laboratory application, that is used to collect, prepare, and examine specimens from the human body for diagnostic histopathology, cytology, and hematology, and that is not labeled or otherwise intended for a specific diagnostic application. General purpose reagents include cytological preservatives, decalcifying reagents, fixatives and adhesives, tissue processing reagents, isotonic solutions, and pH buffers.

A major alkaloid from Colchicum autumnale L. and found also in other Colchicum species. Its primary therapeutic use is in the treatment of gout, but it has been used also in the therapy of familial Mediterranean fever (PERIODIC DISEASE).

An alkaloid isolated from Colchicum autumnale with anti-gout and anti-inflammatory activities. The exact mechanism of action by which colchicines exerts its effect has not been completely established. Colchicine binds to tubulin, thereby interfering with the polymerization of tubulin, interrupting microtubule dynamics, and disrupting mitosis. This leads to an inhibition of migration of leukocytes and other inflammatory cells, thereby reducing the inflammatory response to deposited urate crystals. Colchicine may also interrupt the cycle of monosodium urate crystal deposition in joint tissues, thereby also preventing the resultant inflammatory response. Overall, colchicine decreases leukocyte chemotaxis/migration and phagocytosis to inflamed areas, and inhibits the formation and release of a chemotactic glycoprotein that is produced during phagocytosis of urate crystals.

Inhibits tubulin-tubulin binding and thus destabilizes microtubules; used to block mitosis, axonal transport, and other microtubule dependent cellular functions in vitro, and clinically to treat gout.

Colchicine, drug used in the treatment of gout, a disease that is characterized by severe inflammation in one or more of the joints of the extremities. Colchicine is obtained from the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). The mechanism by which colchicine relieves the pain of gout, which is caused...