Taxol and Camptothecin: Chemistry, bioactivity, and biological production

Taxol and camptothecin are two naturally occurring anticancer agents that have demonstrated significant efficacy and potential in recent years. Each compound exhibits a distinct mechanism of action: Taxol enhances tubulin polymerization and stabilizes microtubules, while camptothecin inhibits topoisomerase I, leading to cancer cell death. To improve their therapeutic effectiveness, various chemical modifications have been made to these compounds, resulting in more potent analogues. For instance, Taxotere is an analogue of Taxol, and irinotecan and topotecan are analogues of camptothecin, all of which have shown enhanced anticancer activity compared to their parent compounds. In addition to chemical advancements, biotechnological methods, such as plant tissue cultures, have been initiated to increase the yield of Taxol and camptothecin, offering a sustainable approach to producing these valuable compounds for cancer treatment