Colchicine's Effect on Inflammatory Markers

June 4, 2026 updated by: Ayesha Ather

Adjunctive Colchicine's Effect on Inflammatory Markers and Corresponding New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation Rates Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Procedure: A Pilot Study

This study wants to see if the medicine colchicine can help lower inflammation and reduce the chance of developing an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) after heart bypass surgery. Adults having coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) can join. Participants will be randomly placed into one of two groups: one group will receive colchicine along with usual care, and the other will receive a placebo (a look-alike capsule with no medicine) along with usual care. Everyone will take a study capsule, and neither the patients nor the study team will know which capsule is being given. Everyone in the study will take study capsule, and neither the patients nor the study team will know who is receiving colchicine or placebo. Blood samples and health information will be collected before surgery; at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery; and again at 10 days after surgery or at hospital discharge, whichever comes first. The investigators will look at inflammation marker levels, whether atrial fibrillation happens, and any side effects. This small study will help to generate effect size estimates and safety data that will help plan a larger study in the future.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Kentucky
      • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40536
        • Recruiting
        • University of Kentucy
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years and older
  • Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) planned procedure

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of atrial fibrillation
  • Off-pump CABG procedure
  • Current treatment with colchicine for any cause
  • Hypersensitivity to colchicine (as indicated by rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever)
  • Emergency cardiac surgery
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) pre- or post-cardiac surgery
  • Heart transplant patients
  • Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients
  • Serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL
  • Preoperative elevated CK or known myopathy
  • Severe liver disease or elevation of serum transaminases (>1.5 times the upper limit of 40 units/liter)
  • Chronic intestinal disease or blood dyscrasia
  • Unable to speak English
  • Pregnancy or lactation in women

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Standard of care and placebo
placebo capsule
Drug: Placebo

Placebo dosing is based on actual body weight and renal function (creatinine clearance). Subjects will initiate study medication (placebo or active drug) 5 days prior to surgery and continue therapy for 10 days postoperatively or until hospital discharge, whichever occurs first.

For patients weighing ≥70 kg:

If CrCl >30 mL/min: Placebo 0.6 mg twice daily

If CrCl <30 mL/min: Placebo 0.3 mg once daily

For patients weighing <70 kg:

If CrCl >30 mL/min: Placebo 0.6 mg once daily

If CrCl <30 mL/min: Placebo 0.3 mg every other day
Experimental: Standard of care and colchicine
colchicine capsule
Drug: Colchicine (Colcrys®)

Colchicine dosing is based on actual body weight and renal function (creatinine clearance). Subjects will initiate study medication (placebo or active drug) 5 days prior to surgery and continue therapy for 10 days postoperatively or until hospital discharge, whichever occurs first.

For patients weighing ≥70 kg:

If CrCl >30 mL/min: Colchicine 0.6 mg twice daily

If CrCl <30 mL/min: Colchicine 0.3 mg once daily

For patients weighing <70 kg:

If CrCl >30 mL/min: Colchicine 0.6 mg once daily

If CrCl <30 mL/min: Colchicine 0.3 mg every other day

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Inflammatory markers
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-surgery), 24, 48, 72, 96 hours post-surgery and 10 days postoperatively or at discharge, whichever occurs first.
markers of inflammation (IL-6, CRP, IL-18, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α) will be measured at predefined time points. Blood samples will be obtained as part of routine clinical care and analyzed using commercially available ELISA assays.
Baseline (pre-surgery), 24, 48, 72, 96 hours post-surgery and 10 days postoperatively or at discharge, whichever occurs first.
Rate of post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF)
Time Frame: Through discharge (up to 15 days)
Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) incidence will be assessed through daily chart review.
Through discharge (up to 15 days)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of participants discontinuing treatment
Time Frame: Through discharge (up to 15 days)
treatment discontinuation rates due to adverse events will be measured
Through discharge (up to 15 days)
Change in Liver Function
Time Frame: Baseline and Post operatively (approximately 24 hours)
Assessed as the impact on clinical biomarkers, i.e., ALT, AST in units per liter.
Baseline and Post operatively (approximately 24 hours)
Change in creatinine level
Time Frame: Baseline through discharge (up to 15 days)
Assessed as the impact on clinical biomarkers, i.e., creatinine level in mg/dl
Baseline through discharge (up to 15 days)
Creatine kinase level
Time Frame: Through discharge (up to 15 days)
Assessed as the impact on clinical biomarkers, creatine kinase (i.e., CK level) in units per liter
Through discharge (up to 15 days)
Complete blood count (CBC).
Time Frame: Through discharge (up to 15 days)
Assessed as the impact on clinical biomarker complete blood count (CBC).
Through discharge (up to 15 days)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ayesha Ather

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Sibu Saha, MD, University of Kentucky

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 1, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 11, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 102331

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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