Colchicine enhances β-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilation in men with
essential hypertension
Abstract
Aims: Colchicine treatment has known beneficial effects on
cardiovascular health and reduces the incidence of cardiovascular
disease. Studies in isolated rodent arteries have shown that colchicine
can enhance β-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilation. In this translational
study we examined whether this effect of colchicine was present in
humans by conducting a double-blinded, placebo controlled intervention
study. Methods and Results : Middle-aged men with essential hypertension
were randomly assigned firstly to acute treatment with either 0.5 mg
colchicine or placebo, and subsequently re-randomized for 3 weeks of
treatment with either colchicine 0.5 mg twice daily (n=16) or placebo
(n=15) followed by a washout period of 48-72 h. The vasodilator
responses to isoprenaline, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, were
determined as well as arterial pressure, arterial compliance and plasma
inflammatory markers. Acute colchicine treatment increased isoprenaline-
(by 38% for the highest dose) as well as SNP- (by 29% main effect)
induced vasodilation, but had no effect on the response to
acetylcholine. Conclusion: Three weeks of twice daily treatment of
colchicine, followed by a wash-out period, did not induce an accumulated
or sustained effect on the β-adrenoceptor response and there was no
effect on either arterial pressure, arterial compliance or on the level
of measured inflammatory markers. The results provide novel
translational evidence for a transient enhancing effect of colchicine on
β-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilation in humans with essential
hypertension