English K, Uwibambe C. Role of anti-inflammatory agent colchicine in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(31): 110123 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i31.110123]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kevan English, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, S 42nd & Emile St, Omaha, NE 68198, United States. keenglish@unmc.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
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Minireviews
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nov 6, 2025 (publication date) through Nov 8, 2025
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Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Cases
ISSN
2307-8960
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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English K, Uwibambe C. Role of anti-inflammatory agent colchicine in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(31): 110123 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i31.110123]
Role of anti-inflammatory agent colchicine in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
Kevan English, Christine Uwibambe
Kevan English, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States
Christine Uwibambe, Department of Internal Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ 07753, United States
Author contributions: English K wrote the original draft, contributed to conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Uwibambe C reviewed and edited the article. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kevan English, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, S 42nd & Emile St, Omaha, NE 68198, United States. keenglish@unmc.edu
Received: May 30, 2025 Revised: June 15, 2025 Accepted: September 1, 2025 Published online: November 6, 2025 Processing time: 154 Days and 3.6 Hours
Abstract
Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory alkaloid that reduces cardiovascular events through its actions on the interleukin(IL)-1β/IL-6/C-reactive protein pathway, which promotes the degradation and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. Low-dose colchicine (0.5 mg/day) has been shown to decrease major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 31% among patients with stable atherosclerosis and 23% among those after a recent myocardial infarction. In patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) already taking a statin, colchicine in conjunction with lipid-lowering therapy has additionally been shown to provide a larger benefit with respect to secondary prevention of MACE. The drug is contraindicated in patients with renal or hepatic impairment and should be avoided in patients taking strong cytochrome P450 3A4 or P-glycoprotein inhibitors. Low-dose colchicine was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2023 to reduce the risk of stroke, coronary revascularization, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death among patients with atherosclerotic disease or multiple risk factors. This article focuses on the use of colchicine and its anti-inflammatory effects in preventing MACE among patients with CAD and patients without CAD with multiple risk factors.
Core Tip: Inflammation is now recognized as an essential component of atherosclerosis, and the anti-inflammatory agent colchicine, through a variety of actions, suppresses this response. Results from a meta-analysis of several randomized controlled trials that evaluated colchicine’s efficacy on cardiovascular outcomes led to its recent approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the management and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events, and clinical data now supports its use for secondary prevention in patients with established coronary artery disease, presumably due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
