Colchicine, terug van nooit weggeweest

Colchicine: ancient and brand new Colchicine is an alkaloid initially extracted from an autumn crocus. Its use dates back to the 6th century BC, with the first indication being gout. In the last 50 years, further insights into its mechanism of action emerged along with an expansion of the number of indications. Colchicine inhibits the chemotaxis of leukocytes. Recently, it was discovered that in addition to its action on the microtubules, there is also an effect on the NLRP3 inflammasome. Colchicine has a narrow therapeutic index and caution is advised in patients with renal and hepatic failure. It’s a CYP3A4 and P-gp substrate. Therefore, concomitant use with CYP3A4 and P-gp inhibitors is contraindicated given the greatly increased risk of toxicity. Its most frequent side effect is diarrhea and severe intoxications can be lethal. The main rheumatologic indications are the treatment of gout in the acute phase, attack prevention and amyloidosis in familial Mediterranean fever, and ulcerations in Behçet’s disease. The cardiovascular use of colchicine in acute and relapsing/chronic pericarditis has been well established. Recent studies also show a beneficial effect in case of acute and chronic coronary artery disease. Additional studies for the implementation of colchicine for these indications are ongoing.

Toxicity and Sublethal Effects of Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale) Bulb Powder on Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta)

Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale L.) is a medicinal plant as it contains high concentrations of colchicine. In this study, we reported that the ground powder of autumn crocus bulb is highly toxic to invasive Solenopsis invicta Buren, commonly referred to as red imported fire ants (RIFAs). Ants fed with sugar water containing 5000 mg/L of bulb powder showed 54.67% mortality in three days compared to 45.33% mortality when fed with sugar water containing 50 mg/L of colchicine. Additionally, the effects of short-term feeding with sugar water containing 1 mg/L of colchicine and 100 mg/L of autumn crocus bulb powder were evaluated for RIFAs’ colony weight, food consumption, and aggressiveness, i.e., aggregation, grasping ability, and walking speed. After 15 days of feeding, the cumulative colony weight loss reached 44.63% and 58.73% due to the sublethal concentrations of colchicine and autumn crocus bulb powder, respectively. The consumption of sugar water and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) was substantially reduced. The aggregation rates decreased 48.67% and 34.67%, grasping rates were reduced to 38.67% and 16.67%, and walking speed decreased 1.13 cm/s and 0.67 cm/s as a result of the feeding of the two sublethal concentrations of colchicine and autumn crocus bulb powder, respectively. Our results for the first time show that powder derived from autumn crocus bulbs could potentially be a botanical pesticide for controlling RIFAs, and application of such a product could be ecologically benign due to its rapid biodegradation in the environment.

Autumn poisoning hazards

The main poisoning hazard of autumn is the abundance of fruits and seeds following summer growth, but if the summer has seen extreme weather conditions, then pasture may be poor and horses may eat plants they would normally avoid. Usually the most significant hazard for horses in the autumn is atypical myopathy from repeated ingestion of sycamore seeds. Dried or wilted leaves of a related species, red maple, can cause haemolysis and methaemoglobinaemia in equines. Other potential risks in the autumn include yew; autumn crocus; oak (acorns); horse chestnut (conkers); plants containing cyanogenic glycosides, such as Prunus species; and ragwort. The fruit bodies of fungi (that is, mushrooms) are also abundant in warm, wet weather and although rarely reported (and possibly underreported), mushroom poisoning is a potential risk in horses. Depending on the type of mushroom there is risk of gastrointestinal, neurological, renal and liver effects. Treatment of plant and mushroom poisoning in horses will depend on the clinical signs and the plant or mushroom involved, but should include identification and removal of the plant or mushroom, and symptomatic care.

Autumn plant poisoning hazards

Potentially poisonous plants are a common part of the environment of many farm animals. Risk of poisoning varies season by season and year by year with variation in the environmental conditions. In the autumn there is risk of poisoning from seeds and fruits and autumn flowering plants. This includes plants containing cyanogenic glycosides (such as cherry laurel) and yew which contains taxine alkaloids. These plants commonly cause sudden death in livestock. Oak, although part of the natural diet of many animals, can cause episodic outbreaks of poisoning, particularly following hot, dry summers. Signs mainly involve the gastrointestinal and renal systems. Poisoning with horse chestnut is not common but can cause neurological and gastrointestinal signs. Ingestion of autumn crocus can also cause gastrointestinal signs in livestock. Prevention of poisoning by recognising the risks and limiting potential circumstances of exposure and ensuring access to forage is essential, as treatment options for management of poisoning in livestock are limited and, in some cases, the only sign of exposure is sudden death.

Common Indian poisonous plants

Common poisonous plants encountered in India include (1) irritant plants, e.g. castor, colocynth, croton, glory lily, marking nut, mayapple, red pepper, rosary pea; (2) cardiotoxic plants, e.g. aconite, autumn crocus, common oleander, yellow oleander, suicide tree; (3) neurotoxic plants, e.g. calotropis, cassava, chickling pea, datura, strychnos; (4) hepatotoxic plants, e.g. neem; and (5) miscellaneous toxic plants and plant products, including arecanut, ...