Liver fibrosis results from chronic damage to the liver in conjunction with the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which characterize most types of chronic liver diseases. Colchicine has been used in liver diseases as an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drug. Several randomized clinical trials have addressed whether colchicine has any efficacy in cases of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.
This work was conducted to evaluate whether colchicine has any role in prevention or treatment of liver fibrosis. In this study 40 adult male albino rats divided into 3 groups were utilized. The first was the control group, the second was the positive control group, in which liver fibrosis was artificially induced in rats by CCl4. The third group was the experimental (colchicine) group which subdivided into 2 subgroups to monitor the prophylactic or curtive effect of colchicine.
Liver samples were taken 4 and 6 weeks from the start of the exepriment; 2 and 4 weeks after the initial dose of CCl4 ( 0.2 ml/ 100 g body weight). From the liver samples, histological sections were prepared for histological (H&E and
Masson’s trichrom stains) examination and immunohistochemical detection of NF-kB by the biotinstreptavidin amplified (B-SA) system.
The results revealed that colchicine minimally decreased collagen fibers when it used as a prophylactic doses while it effectively decreased it in curative subgroup but it increased the injurious effect of CCL4 on liver cells in both experimental subgroups.
It could be concluded that, colchicine is known as antifibrotic drug, it should not be used for treatment of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis because it has an injurious effect on liver cells.
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