Taxus: The Genus Taxus
Summary
Taxol, originally derived from the North American Yew tree in 1971, is well-known worldwide as a powerful anticancer agent. Mechanistically, it has a unique microtubule stabilizing activity, and was clinically developed as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers at the National Cancer Institute, Washington D.C., USA.
In this volume, the authors provide an authoritative account of the taxoids. it covers their production and biosynthesis - from commercial cultivation to plant tissue culture methods - describes taxoid chemistry, the analytical methods for identifying their structure and the pharmacological and pre-clinical aspects important in investigating their therapeutic actions.
It presents a thorough review of the scientific literature, including data from scientists currently engaged in taxoid research, and will be of significant value to researchers and others who wish to gain a practical perspective on taxoid research and development.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2. Biosynthesis of Taxoids 3. Taxoids Occurring in the genus Taxus 4. Physical Methods for Identifying the Structures of Taxoids 5. Plant Tissue Culture of Taxoids 6. The Commercial Cultivation of Taxus Species and Production of Taxoids 7. Analytical Aspects of Taxoids 8. Chemistry of Taxol and Related Taxoids 9. Total Synthesis of Taxoids 10. Structure-Activity Relationships of Taxoids 11. Pre-clinical and Clinical Investigation of the Taxanes 12. Paclitaxel Content of Yews in Ireland
Editorial Reviews
"The editors have achieved a significant accomplishment bringing together a vast amount of literature in the field for the use of fellow scientists, researchers in the pharmaceutical industry, and students. …This book is destined to be of valuable assistance to scholars and especially medical researchers."
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