Mechanisms of colchicine effect in the treatment of asbestosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

D. J. Addrizzo-Harris, T. J. Harkin, K. M. Tchou-Wong, G. McGuinness, R. Goldring, D. Cheng, D. William N. Rom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms of colchicine action in pulmonary fibrosis. The study included 10 patients with pulmonary fibrosis (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 5, asbestosis 4, and scleroderma 1) who had been admitted to Bellevue Hospital Center, a tertiary care public hospital in New York City. We administered colchicine 0.6 mg orally for 12 weeks to patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Symptoms, high resolution CT scans, pulmonary function tests, and bronchoalveolar lavage parameters were compared prior to and after treatment. Results showed declines in dyspnea index, selective improvement in several CT scans, but no statistically significant change in BAL cells, cytokines, fibronectin, or hydroxyproline. However, there was a decline in hydroxyproline in the BAL fluid in 8/10 patients. We concluded that colchicine has a mild antifibrotic effect which may be in inhibiting collagen formation since there was no effect on the inflammation that accompanies fibrosis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)61-72
Number of pages12
JournalLung
Volume180
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Asbestosis
  • Colchicine
  • Inflammation

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