Natural Taxanes: From Plant Composition to Human Pharmacology and Toxicity

Abstract

Biologically active taxanes, present in small- to medium-sized evergreen conifers of various Taxus species, are widely used for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, but mostly for their antitumour effects used in the treatment of solid tumours of the breast, ovary, lung, bladder, prostate, oesophagus and melanoma. More of the substances found in Taxus plant extracts have medical potential. Therefore, at the beginning of this review, we describe the methods of isolation, identification and determination of taxanes in different plant parts. One of the most important taxanes is paclitaxel, for which we summarize the pharmacokinetic parameters of its different formulations. We also describe toxicological risks during clinical therapy such as hypersensitivity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, haematological, skin and renal toxicity and toxicity to the respiratory system. Since the effect of the drug-form PTX is enhanced by various Taxus spp. extracts, we summarize published clinical intoxications and all fatal poisonings for the Taxus baccata plant. This showed that, despite their significant use in anticancer treatment, attention should also be focused on the risk of fatal intoxication due to ingestion of extracts from these plants, which are commonly found in our surroundings.

Efficacy and safety of consolidation chemotherapy after adjuvant therapy in stage IB-IIA cervical cancer patients with risk factors: a retrospective single-center study

“…These adverse events were largely attributed to additional administration of chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel, cisplatin and carboplatin. For instance, paclitaxel directly blocks the division cycle of hematopoietic stem cells, resulting in neutropenia ( 23 ). Cisplatin is correlated with increased incidence of hepatotoxicity, while carboplatin commonly induces thrombocytopenia ( 24 ).…”

Transcriptome and comparative chloroplast genome analysis of Taxus yunnanensis individuals with high and low paclitaxel yield

“…In addition, 10-deacetylpaclitaxel, 7-xylosyl-10-deacetylpaclitaxel, and cephalomannine can also be converted to paclitaxel via a few steps [ [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] ]. The contents of 10-deacetylpaclitaxel and 7-xylosyl-10-deacetylpaclitaxel detected in TG (0.016% and 0.0031%) and TD (0.026% and 0.00323%) are lower than those in other Taxus spp., such as T. cuspidata (0.0144–0.0288% and 0.009%), T. chinensis (0.0072–0.043% and 0.042–0.111%), and T. media (0.0216–0.0288% and 0.009%) [ 43 , 44 ], but the content of cephalomannine in TG (0.1306%) twigs was significantly higher than that in twigs of TD (0.04695%) and other Taxus spp., such as T. media (0.033–0.055%), T. cuspidata (0.033–0.066%) [ 43 , 44 ]. To reveal the mechanisms underlying the differences in paclitaxel accumulation between the two different provenances of T. yunnanensis , further RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analyses were performed.…”

Advancements in the Cultivation, Active Components, and Pharmacological Activities of Taxus mairei

“…Taxus, belonging to the Taxaceae family, is one of the world’s precious tree species. Due to its unique ecological and medical values in China, Taxus has been classified as a first-class protected plant [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Globally, there are eleven species of Taxus, with China being home to four species and one variety, namely Taxus chinensis (Pilger.)…”

“…The needles of T. mairei also contain a certain amount of flavonoid components, with an average total flavonoid content of 59.327 ± 0.036 mg/g, including Taxifolin, Amentoflavone, Quercetin, and Ginkgetin, among others, with the maximum concentration of Taxifolin being 2540 µg/g [ 6 ]; the contents of Quercetin and Amentoflavone are close, with average contents of 0.047 mg/g and 0.040 ± 0.001 mg/g, respectively [ 38 ].…”