Colchicine is a highly poisonous natural product and secondary metabolite, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum (Autumn crocus, also known as the "Meadow saffron").
Colchicine as medicine
Colchicine is FDA-approved for the treatment of gout and also for familial Mediterranean fever, amyloidosis, and scleroderma. Side-effects include gastro-intestinal upset and neutropenia.
Colchicine An alkaloid from the autumn crocus that prevents polymerization of tubulin to form microtubules; as a consequence, it inhibits the cell cycle at metaphase.
Polyploidy can also be induced in the plant breeding laboratory by treating dividing cells with colchicine. This drug disrupts microtubules and thus prevents the formation of a spindle.
Other natural toxins, such as the colchicine produced by the meadow saffron, destabilize microtubules and hinder their polymerization.
 See also: Cells, Mitosis, Plant, Cell, Division
  
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