Medicinal PlantsChemistry, Biology and Omics
2015, Pages 97–136
3 – Taxus medicinal resources: a comprehensive study
Abstract
Taxus
is a botanical source for the anticancer drug Taxol (paclitaxel), first
reported in 1971 as a result of bioassay-guided fractionation of active
extracts from stem bark samples of T. brevifolia. This led to additional discoveries of pharmacologically active taxoids in other Taxus
species and to investigations on their biosynthetic precursors,
analogs, and derivatives. There are 11 basic taxane diterpenoid
skeletons. The outstanding bioactivities of taxanes include anticancer
activity, effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, and
anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. In continuation with our
studies on Taxus biochemistry, we review the genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics of Taxus
and their endophytic fungi. The bibliometric method is used to quantify
and characterize the global scientific effort in the omics technologies
being applied. We conclude that systems biology and omics technologies
will play an increasingly important role in future medical research
involving bioactive compounds of Taxus and other natural
products. Elucidation of the taxane biosynthetic pathway could help
alleviate the supply crisis of anticancer drugs.
Keywords
- Taxus;
- Medicinal resource;
- Phylogeny and evolution;
- Biotechnology;
- Phytochemistry;
- Omics
Acknowledgments
Richard W. Spjut of World Botanical Associates helps edit and polish the manuscript. We thank him for his constructive comments.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
