Colchicine

Colchicine is an anti-microtubule agent that was originally extracted from the plant Colchicum autumnale. Colchicine reversibly binds to the tubulin dimer and prevents its polymerization into microtubules, resulting in cytoskeletal instability. Because microtubules are also major components of the mitotic spindle, colchicine arrests cell division at metaphase and therefore has an "antimitotic" property. In gout, urate crystals deposited in joints activate neutrophils. By inhibiting microtubule polymerization, colchicine suppresses neutrophil migration, phagocytosis, and the release of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β.