Colchicine reduced perioperative myocardial injury in cardiac surgery. Rats in the I/R + colchicine group received colchicine for 7 days before model establishment. TUNEL staining (scale bars, 20 μm) was used to assess myocardial apoptosis (n = 6). Results are presented as the ratio of TUNEL-positive cells to total cell count. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. Data are expressed as mean (SD). COL: colchicine; CPB: cardiopulmonary bypass; I/R: ischaemia–reperfusion; SD: standard deviation.