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A recent report from researchers at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, explores the hepatotoxicity (liver damage) caused by colchicine, a drug commonly used to treat gouty arthritis. The study used metabolomic analysis to identify 17 metabolites of colchicine, including 3 novel sulfated metabolites. The researchers found that colchicine may regulate sulfotransferase 1 (SULT1) through perixisome proliferation-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha), and inhibition of SULT1 worsened colchicine-induced liver injury. However, supplementation of endogenous sulfated metabolites alleviated liver injury. The study suggests that targeting the SULT1 enzyme and administering specific metabolites may be useful in mitigating colchicine hepatotoxicity. [Extracted from the article]