The Action of Colchicine in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Perspectives and Challenges

Colchicine is an alkaloid traditionally used to treat inflammatory conditions such as gout and familial Mediterranean fever. Currently, there are proposals for the use of this drug in several other situations, such as cardiovascular and liver diseases and diabetes. In this study, the current literature on the potential of colchicine in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) was evaluated. The inhibitory action of the NLRP3 inflammasome and other processes, such as reductions in the migration and activation of immune system cells, are effects observed in both in vitro studies and animal models related to colchicine, as well as the promotion of mechanisms of the intensification of lipid metabolism, the reduction of tissue fibrosis, and the reduction of serum glucose and triglycerides. These factors are associated with changes in the prognoses of patients with MS, which, together with obesity, has a high association with inflammatory mechanisms for its maintenance and secondary impairments to homeostasis. In humans, clinical research has rarely addressed the use of colchicine in obesity and MS, with only one pilot randomized clinical trial having been conducted, which identified a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect on endothelial function and the process of insulin resistance in this population. However, it is not yet possible to extrapolate its findings and apply its results to a broader context. Given the potential of this “ancient drug” in various pathological contexts and its good tolerability, it is important that its properties continue to be investigated and that more clinical studies be conducted to expand the therapeutic applications of this low-cost substance in patients with obesity and MS.