Paclitaxel: Difference between revisions

Paclitaxel (also known as taxol) is a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy. It has been approved to treat ovarian, breast, and lung cancer, as well as Kaposi’s sarcoma. Paclitaxel is an antitumor drug and it plays a major role in cancer chemotherapy.<scene name='80/809872/Sami_scene_1/14'> Paclitaxel enhances the polymerization of tubulin</scene> to stable microtubules. Microtubules consist of polymers of tubulin which form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to the cytoplasm of various cells. They are involved in cell division (by mitosis and meiosis) and are the major constituents of mitotic spindles. Paclitaxel partly induces cell death through disrupting mitosis by binding to and stabilizing the microtubule proteins. When paclitaxel binds to the microtubules, it essentially freezes them in place, preventing the separating of chromosomes during cell division. The stabilization is accompanied by structural modifications in the microtubules. The effects are different if assembly of mitotic apparatus is accompanied with the presence of paclitaxel, compared to when paclitaxel is added after the assembly. <ref name="linda">DOI: 10.1016/S1074-5521(99)89002-4</ref>