2,3-Didemethylcolchicine and cornigerine showed potent antiinflammatory activity. Allocolchicine and N-acetylcolchinol methylether have potent affinity for tubulin. Reaction of 2- demethylcolchicine with DADF gave a fluorescent ester converted into red dyes and useful to study metabolic conversion of colchicinoids into phenolic congeners. Formation of conformationally stable isomers of colchicine is seen when the methoxy group at C-1 is replaced with bulkier acetoxy- or benzoyloxy groups. The importance of the methoxy group at C-10 in colchicine was demonstrated with a synthesis of pure colchicide and several colchicide analogs, which all showed poor affinity to tubulin.
