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Colchicum species: Autumn crocus
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Family
Liliaceae
Common Name
Autumn crocus, meadow saffron, and naked lady. The best known species of the genus is Colchicum automnale, autumn crocus, the stamens of theflowers being the source of saffron, anexpensive food coloring and spice.
Plant Description
Comprising a genus of some 60 species, Colchicum are native to Europe, North America, and West and Central Asia.
Many species originate from the Mediterranean area around Turkey and the Balkans. Arising from corms, almost all species flower before they produce leaves. The leaves are basal, long, linear blades.
Flowers are produced singularly or in clusters on top of long tubes, and are generally purple, pink, or white in color. In contrast to Crocusspecies, which have 3 stamens, Colchicum flowers each have 6 stamens and three pistils. Many species tend to flower in the fall, but others may flower in the spring (Fig. 110 and Fig. 111).
Figure 110. Colchicum autumnale.
Figure 111. Colchicum speciosum.
Toxic Principle and Mechanism of Action
All parts of the Colchicum species are poisonous, the greatest concentrations of toxic alkaloids occurring in the flowers and seeds. The corm is also toxic containing 0.05% alkaloids, in contrast to 0.2% in the seeds. However, the corms are large enough to contain toxic doses of the alkaloids. The primary toxic alkaloid is colchicine, which interferes with cell mitosis. Colchicine and its related alkaloids interfere with microtubular dependent cell function’s by binding to tubulin protein, thus blocking mitosis in multiple tissues [1]. All animals are susceptible to the toxic effects of colchicine. Multiple organ failure is characteristic of acute colchicine poisoning. Colchicine also causes marked decreases in prolactin, insulin, glucose tolerance, and catecholamine production. An estimated lethal dose of colchicine is 0.8 mg per kilogram body weight [2]. A lethal dose of the bulbs for calves was 12g/kg body weight [3].
Another plant that is known to contain colchicine and other similar alkaloids is the Glory Lilly (Gloriosa superba) which contains up to 0.36% colchicine in its tubers [4,5].
Risk Assessment
Colchicum species corms contain sufficient quantities of colchicine to make them one of the more toxic corms or bulbs that can become accessible to household pets. The corms are frequently sold for indoor blooming which entails as little as placing the corm in a saucer with some water on a windowsill. The striking blooms appear in 2 - 3 weeks. In such circumstances the corms are readily accessible to household pets. Cases of human poisoning occur when the Colchicum corm is mistaken for that of wild garlic, or the flowers are consumed [6,7].
Clinical Signs
The most immediate effect of colchicine poisoning is upon the digestive system, where excessive salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, and severe hemorrhagic diarrhea are typical [4]. Shortly thereafter, infected animals become weak disoriented, developing seizures, and cardiac irregularities [2-4]. Because of the multisystemic effect of colchicine, death results from severe physiological complications of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, metabolic, and neuromuscular systems. Treatment should be aimed at managing the vomiting, diarrhea, and shock-like signs. Colchicine poisoning in humans has been successfully treated using goat-derived, colchicine-specific Fab fragments [8].
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1. Capraro HG, Brossi A. Tropolonic Colchicine alkaloids. In: The Alkaloids, Brossi A ed, Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, pp 1-70, 1984.
2. Rochdi M et al. Toxicokinetics of colchicine in humans: analysis of tissue, plasma and urine data in 10 cases. Hum Exp Toxicol 11: 510-516, 1992.
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Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
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