Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control

López-Fagúndez, Miriam; Piñeiro-Ramil, María; Pazos-Pérez, Andrés; Guillán-Fresco, María; López, Verónica; Ait Eldjoudi, Djedjiga; Bravo, Susana Belén; Jorge-Mora, Alberto; Alonso-Pérez, Ana; Gómez, Rodolfo

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

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Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control

by

Miriam López-Fagúndez

^†

,

María Piñeiro-Ramil

^†,

Andrés Pazos-Pérez

,

María Guillán-Fresco

,

Verónica López

,

Djedjiga Ait Eldjoudi

,

Susana Belén Bravo

,

Alberto Jorge-Mora

,

Ana Alonso-Pérez

^*,‡

and

Rodolfo Gómez

^*,‡

Musculoskeletal Pathology Group, Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago University Clinical Hospital, SERGAS, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

^‡

These authors also contributed equally to this work.

Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

Submission received: 24 December 2025 / Revised: 13 January 2026 / Accepted: 15 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals and Bioactive Compound-Based Pharmaceutical Formulations in Health and Disease: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Applications)

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Abstract

Background: Gout is an inflammatory arthritis associated with increased bone anabolism and a higher risk of ectopic bone formation. Colchicine, used to prevent and treat acute gouty flares, inhibits microtubule polymerization and has been described to promote osteoblastogenesis. In bone disorders such as osteoporosis, disruption of the osteoblast–adipocyte balance contributes to pathology, yet no therapies directly target bone marrow adiposity. Thus, we decided to investigate the impact of colchicine on the osteoblast-adipocyte balance. Methods: C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells were differentiated to both cell fates in the presence or absence of colchicine. Differentiation was assessed by studying differentiation phenotypes as well as adipocytic and osteoblastic marker genes. Disrupting microtubule homeostasis through stathmin (STMN1) silencing was employed to mimic colchicine effects on differentiation. Proteomic analysis was performed to gain further insight into colchicine’s effects on adipogenesis. Results: Colchicine promoted transcriptional changes consistent with osteoblastogenic commitment and inhibited adipogenesis, as evidenced by reduced intracellular lipid accumulation and downregulation of adipogenic marker genes. These effects were observed following both continuous and transient exposure (median fold change across adipogenic markers 0.41 and 0.59, respectively). Consistent with colchicine-induced microtubule destabilisation, microtubule disruption by STMN1 silencing also suppressed adipogenic differentiation (median fold change = 0.66), suggesting that colchicine’s anti-adipogenic effect may be due to its impact on the cytoskeleton. Conclusions: These findings indicate that colchicine can suppress adipogenic differentiation while favouring osteoblast commitment in mesenchymal stem cells. Although further validation in relevant preclinical models is required, its efficacy following transient exposure supports the exploration of site-specific strategies that limit systemic toxicity.

Keywords: adipogenesis; osteoblastogenesis; cytoskeleton; microtubule destabilisation; bone marrow adipocytes

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MDPI and ACS Style

López-Fagúndez, M.; Piñeiro-Ramil, M.; Pazos-Pérez, A.; Guillán-Fresco, M.; López, V.; Ait Eldjoudi, D.; Bravo, S.B.; Jorge-Mora, A.; Alonso-Pérez, A.; Gómez, R. Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control. Pharmaceutics 2026, 18, 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

AMA Style

López-Fagúndez M, Piñeiro-Ramil M, Pazos-Pérez A, Guillán-Fresco M, López V, Ait Eldjoudi D, Bravo SB, Jorge-Mora A, Alonso-Pérez A, Gómez R. Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control. Pharmaceutics. 2026; 18(1):119. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

Chicago/Turabian Style

López-Fagúndez, Miriam, María Piñeiro-Ramil, Andrés Pazos-Pérez, María Guillán-Fresco, Verónica López, Djedjiga Ait Eldjoudi, Susana Belén Bravo, Alberto Jorge-Mora, Ana Alonso-Pérez, and Rodolfo Gómez. 2026. "Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control" Pharmaceutics 18, no. 1: 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

APA Style

López-Fagúndez, M., Piñeiro-Ramil, M., Pazos-Pérez, A., Guillán-Fresco, M., López, V., Ait Eldjoudi, D., Bravo, S. B., Jorge-Mora, A., Alonso-Pérez, A., & Gómez, R. (2026). Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control. Pharmaceutics, 18(1), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010119

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Colchicine Suppresses Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Implications for Bone Adiposity Control

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