Colchicine exerts anti-atherosclerotic and ‑plaque-stabilizing effects targeting foam cell formation

Abstract

Colchicine is a broad-acting anti-inflammatory agent that has attracted interest for repurposing in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Here, we studied its ability at a human equivalent dose of 0.5 mg/day to modify plaque formation and composition in murine atherosclerosis and investigated its actions on macrophage responses to atherogenic stimuli in vitro. In atherosclerosis induced by high-cholesterol diet, Apoe−/− mice treated with colchicine had 50% reduction in aortic oil Red O+ plaque area compared to saline control (p =.001) and lower oil Red O+ staining of aortic sinus lesions (p =.03). In vitro, addition of 10 nM colchicine inhibited foam cell formation from murine and human ma..