Colchicine and the concepts of nephroprotection; a new feature of an old drug

Abstract

Colchicine as an old drug and is usually the first choice of treatment for acute gout to reduce pain and inflammation. Colchicine seems to prevent various pro-inflammatory mechanisms, whereas it allows increasing concentration of anti-inflammatory molecules, which leads to clinical advantage in patients with gout. Colchicine is using generally as a treatment for acute gout however, it has also newly been revealed to have anti-fibrotic effects in different kinds of nephropathies such as polycystic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy and amyloidosis. Extended use of colchicine is associated with nephrotoxicity depending on its dose, which results to impairment of renal function. Risk of colchicine therapy is accentuated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients; therefore, dose reduction is necessary dependent on CKD stage.