Repurposing Colchicine to Improve Vascular Function in Hypertension
Condition: Essential Hypertension
MeSH terms: Hypertension; Essential Hypertension
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      In this project the potential beneficial effect of the drug colchicine on vascular reactivity
      and blood pressure will be assessed. Colchicine is a commonly used anti-inflammatory
      medication approved for the treatment of gout, Familial Mediterranean Fever and pericarditis
      in Denmark. The current project idea is based on accumulating evidence in the literature for
      a beneficial role of colchicine treatment in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in
      parallel with novel mechanistic insight from our own research. Recently, colchicine was
      associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including reduced myocardial
      infarctions, strokes and acute coronary syndrome . However, none of these trials have
      investigated the effect of colchicine on arterial tone or stiffness, changes to which may
      underlie the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease associated with colchicine. In support of
      the hypothesis that colchicine will improve vascular reactivity, a study in 1985 by Lagrue et
      al. found that daily, low-dose colchicine improved arterial stiffness in a small cohort of
      hypertensive patients. More recently, colchicine was shown to improve arterial stiffness in
      patients with Familial Mediterranean fever supporting a cardiovascular protective role of
      colchicine. Finally, colchicine is also proposed to have anti-inflammatory effects in the
      vascular system.
    

Detailed description: 
      In this project w the potential beneficial effect of the drug colchicine on vascular
      reactivity and blood pressure is evaluated. Colchicine is a commonly used anti-inflammatory
      medication approved for the treatment of gout, Familial Mediterranean Fever and pericarditis
      in Denmark. The current project idea is based on accumulating evidence in the literature for
      a beneficial role of colchicine treatment in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in
      parallel with novel mechanistic insight from research of the investigators. Recently,
      colchicine was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including reduced
      myocardial infarctions, strokes and acute coronary syndrome. However, none of these trials
      have investigated the effect of colchicine on arterial tone or stiffness, changes to which
      may underlie the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease associated with colchicine. In
      support of thehypothesis that colchicine will improve vascular reactivity, a study in 1985 by
      Lagrue et al. found that daily, low-dose colchicine improved arterial stiffness in a small
      cohort of hypertensive patients. More recently, colchicine was shown to improve arterial
      stiffness in patients with Familial Mediterranean fever supporting a cardiovascular
      protective role of colchicine. Finally, colchicine is also proposed to have anti-inflammatory
      effects in the vascular system.
    

Intervention name(s): Colchicine Tablets; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Drug; Drug
Intervention description(s): patients with essential hypertension are randomized to receive either 3 weeks of colchicine; patients with essential hypertension are randomized to receive either 3 weeks of placebo-treatment
Other intervention name(s): Colchicine
Intervention MeSH terms: Colchicine
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Single blinded randomized placebo-controlled intervention
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: essential hypertension; colchicine; vascular function; vascular compliance; blood pressure