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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 83-B, Issue 6, 912-915.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.83B6.10949  
Copyright © 2001 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery
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The inhibitory effects of colchicine on cell proliferation and mineralisation in culture

M. Salai, MD, Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon1; E. Segal, MD, Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon1; I. Cohen, MD, Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon1; I. Dudkiewicz, MD, Orthopaedic Resident1; N. Farzame, Laboratory Assistant2; S. Pitaru, PhD, Director and Professor3; and N. Savion, PhD, Director and Professor2

1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Centre, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel.
2 Goldschleger Eye Research Institute and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel.
3 Department of Oral Biology, Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr M. Salai.

Colchicine is often used in the treatment of diseases such as familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and gout. We have previously reported that patients with FMF who had colchicine on a daily basis and who had a total hip arthroplasty showed no heterotopic ossification after surgery. The mechanism by which colchicine causes this clinical phenomenon has never been elucidated. We therefore evaluated the effect of various concentrations of colchicine on cell proliferation and mineralisation in tissue culture, using rat and human cells with and without osteogenic potential. Cell proliferation was assessed by direct cell counts and uptake of (3H)thymidine, and mineralisation by measuring the amount of staining by Alizarin Red.

Our findings indicate that concentrations of colchicine of up to 3 ng/ml did not affect cell proliferation but inhibition was observed at 10 to 30 ng/ml. Mineralisation decreased to almost 50%, which was the maximum inhibition observed, at concentrations of colchicine of 2.5 ng/ml. These results indicate that colchicine at low concentrations, of up to 3 ng/ml, has the capacity to inhibit selectively bone-like cell mineralisation in culture, without affecting cell proliferation. Further clinical and laboratory studies are necessary to evaluate the effects of colchicine on biological processes involving the proliferation of osteoblasts and tissue mineralisation in vivo, such as the healing of fractures, the formation of heterotopic bone and neoplastic bone growth.






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Hip, Knee, Trauma, Upper limb, Foot & Ankle, Paediatrics, Oncology, Spine, Arthroplasty, General