Colchicine in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Overview

Heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Systemic low-grade inflammation is acknowledged to be a fundamental pathophysiological mechanism of HFpEF. Interventions targeting inflammatory pathway is understudied in HFpEF. Colchicine is a safe and well tolerated anti-inflammatory drug, which interferes with several steps in the inflammatory process. The drug has been extensively studied in different cardiovascular pathologies except HFpEF. We assume that colchicine decreases inflammation and reduces sST2 levels in HFpEF.

HFpEF is a syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The underlying mechanisms of the syndrome are not fully understood. Systemic low-grade inflammation is acknowledged to be a fundamental pathophysiological mechanism of HFpEF, which facilitates cardiomyocyte stiffness and myocardial fibrosis development. However, anti-inflammatory treatment approaches are largely under studied. Colchicine is a safe and well tolerated anti-inflammatory drug, which interferes with several steps in the inflammatory process, resulting in suppression of a number of pro-inflammatory pathways and cytokines release, including IL-1, hsCRP. The drug has been extensively studied in patients with coronary artery disease (COLCOT, LoDoCo2) and showed significant reduction in risk of cardio-vascular events, as well as inflammation. Post-hoc analysis of in the CANTOS study investigated the effect of monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β in patients with prior myocardial infarction, showed a reduction in heart failure (HF) hospitalization of patients with elevations in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). There is no data available regarding the effect of Colchicine on HFpEF patients. Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 (sST2), a member of the interleukin (IL)-1 receptor family, which is not restricted to inflammation, but is also expressed in cardiomyocytes, fibroblast and endothelial cells of cardiac microvessels in response to myocardial stress antagonizing cardioprotective effects of IL-33/ST2 system. In HFpEF, sST2 associated with worse clinical signs and symptoms, co-morbidities, biomarkers of fibrosis and neurohormonal activation. Elevated levels of sST2 are acknowledged as a predictor of worse prognosis in both HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HFpEF. We assume that colchicine decreases inflammation and reduces sST2 levels in HFpEF.