Research Progress on Taxus Extraction and Formulation Preparation Technologies

Taxus, as a globally prevalent evergreen tree, contains a wealth of bioactive components that play a crucial role in the pharmaceutical field. Taxus extracts, defined as a collection of one or more bioactive compounds extracted from the genus Taxus spp., have become a significant focus of modern cancer treatment research. This review article aims to delve into the scientific background of Taxus extracts and their considerable value in pharmaceutical research. It meticulously sifts through and compares various advanced extraction techniques such as supercritical extraction, ultrasound extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, solid-phase extraction, high-pressure pulsed electric field extraction, and enzymatic extraction, assessing each technology's advantages and limitations across dimensions such as extraction efficiency, extraction purity, economic cost, operational time, and environmental impact, with comprehensive analysis results presented in table form. In the area of drug formulation design, this paper systematically discusses the development strategies for solid, liquid, and semi-solid dosage forms based on the unique physicochemical properties of Taxus extracts, their intended medical uses, and specific release characteristics, delving deeply into the selection of excipients and the critical technical issues in the drug preparation process. Moreover, the article looks forward to the potential directions of Taxus extracts in future research and medical applications, emphasizing the urgency and importance of continuously optimizing extraction methods and formulation design to enhance treatment efficacy, reduce production costs, and decrease environmental burdens. It provides a comprehensive set of preparation techniques and formulation optimization schemes for researchers in cancer treatment and other medical fields, promoting the application and development of Taxus extracts in pharmaceutical sciences.

Purification of Two Taxanes from Taxus cuspidata by Preparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

In the present study, an effective method of preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (Prep-HPLC) was established to purify two taxanes in Taxus cuspidata. During the experimental operation, the effects of flow rate, injection volume, and column temperature on the purity of 10-deacetyltaxol (10-DAT) and paclitaxel (PTX) were investigated, and the optimized conditions were as follows: flow rate of 10 mL/min, injection volume of 0.5 mL, and column temperature of 30 °C. Under these conditions, the purity of 10-DAT and PTX reached 95.33% and 99.15%, respectively. The purified products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS). The results demonstrated that preparative HPLC can effectively purify 10-DAT and PTX from Taxus cuspidata with a purity of >95%, which was suitable for the large-scale preparation of 10-DAT and PTX.

Natural Taxanes: From Plant Composition to Human Pharmacology and Toxicity

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.