Oral colchicine for the treatment of experimental traction retinal detachment
M. Lemor, J. H. Yeo and B. M. Glaser
In proliferative vitreoretinopathy and trauma, long-term reattachment of
the retina is often prevented by the formation of contractile cellular
membranes on the retinal surface and within the vitreous cavity.
Colchicine, a well-documented inhibitor of microtubule assembly, is a
potent inhibitor of retinal pigment epithelium cell, astrocyte, and
fibroblast proliferation and migration. To study the therapeutic value of
orally administered colchicine, we used an experimental animal model in
which intravitreally injected platelet-derived growth factor and
fibronectin produced traction retinal detachments in rabbits. With oral
administration of colchicine, we were able to decrease the incidence and
severity of traction retinal detachment from 74% in controls (20 of 27
eyes) to 29.6% in the treated animals (eight of 27 eyes) at five weeks (P
less than .0009). These results, and the apparent lack of retinal and
systemic toxicity, suggest that oral therapy with colchicine may prove to
be of value in the treatment of human disease.
