Colchicine: anti-inflammatory effect of low doses in a sensitive bacterial system.

Abstract The anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine in low dosage was studied in guinea pigs by observing the response to the intradermal inoculations of staphylococci at various intervals after intraperitoneal colchicine or saline. The resulting areas of inflammation were greater in animals given colchicine (80 μg, 27 μg, or 13 μg per 200 Gm.) than those in control animals. This effect was most dramatic when the inoculum was implanted 6 or 8 hours after the administration of colchicine. Histological studies indicate that the greater pyogenic infections in colchicine-treated animals may be at attributed, at least in part, to a delay in delivery of leukocytes.