Title:Morphological Characteristics, Geographical Distribution, Secondary Metabolites, and Biological Activities of Taxus
Volume: 14
Issue: 3
Author(s): Li Yang*, Xiao Ruan, Xing-Xing Gao, Huan Zhang and Qiang Wang*
Affiliation:
- Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo,China
- Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, 315100, Ningbo,China
Keywords:
Bioactivity, distribution, morphology, secondary metabolites, Taxus, taxol.
Abstract: Taxus is a genus of 12 species mainly distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with four species
in North America, one in Europe, and the remaining native to Southeast Asia. Taxus contains numerous
compounds of taxane derivatives, polysaccharides, and flavanoids. The compound with the greatest significance
for humans is an oxygen-rich diterpene called taxol, which can be used as an inhibitor of cancer cell
growth. Many new biological activities of these chemical compounds have been discovered to fight against
various cancers (e.g., ovarian, breast, esophagus, gastric, lung, and prostate cancers), anti-oxidation, cure inflammatory
and HIV effects, and eliminate free radicals. This review revises the information on the morphological
characteristics and geographical distribution, generalizes the relationship of special secondary metabolites
among species, summarizes the main pharmacological activities of the compounds contained in
plant, and also puts forward some effective strategies for the exploitation and protection of the Taxus species.
These works may be helpful for the researcher and utilizer.