Colchicine in the treatment of refractory aphthous ulcerations: Review of the literature and two case reports

Toader,Mihaela Paula; Esanu,Irina Mihaela; Taranu,Tatiana; Mocanu,Madalina; Toader,Stefan

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.9712

Colchicine in the treatment of refractory aphthous ulcerations: Review of the literature and two case reports

Authors:
- Mihaela Paula Toader
- Irina Mihaela Esanu
- Tatiana Taranu
- Madalina Mocanu
- Stefan Toader
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Affiliations: Department of Oral Dermatology, ‘Grigore T. Popa’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 70015 Iasi, Romania, Department of Internal Medicine, ‘Grigore T. Popa’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 70015 Iasi, Romania, Department of Pathophysiology, ‘Grigore T. Popa’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 70015 Iasi, Romania
Published online on: January 25, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.9712
Article Number: 281

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Abstract

Colchicine has been known and used for over a millennium for its anti‑inflammatory properties, being the treatment of choice for gout and familial Mediterranean fever. A tricyclic alkaloid extracted from the herbaceous plant, Colchicum autumnale, colchicine blocks multiple inflammatory pathways, and has antimitotic and antifibrotic action. Although there are insufficient data on the beneficial mechanism of action, colchicine is a widely used treatment in dermatology, one of the morbid conditions with more evidence of efficacy being recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), a disorder with incompletely known etiopathogenesis and, consequently, with poorly defined treatment. Colchicine is considered as the first therapeutic line in complex or severe aphthoses, significantly relieving pain, decreasing the number of lesions, increasing the free interval between eruptive episodes, without inducing noticeable side effects. We examined the treatment efficacy of colchicine in two cases of chronic, severe RAS, evolving in different morbid contexts, who did not respond to other therapeutic measures. The two cases presented with recurrent aphthous stomatitis with herpetiform aphthae; one patient with Turner syndrome and one patient with major Sutton ulcers.

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