8 research outputs found
Taxanes from shells and leaves of Corylus avellana
Paclitaxel is an effective antineoplastic agent originally extracted in low yield from the bark of Taxus breVifolia. Although it was generally considered a particular metabolite of Taxus sp., paclitaxel was recently found in hazel cell cultures.
The aim of the present work was to verify whether hazel differentiated tissues could be used as a commercial source
of paclitaxel and other taxanes. Thus, shells and leaves of hazel plants were analyzed by ELISA and HPLC-MS. Both
shell and leaf extracts contained taxanes. Among these, paclitaxel, 10-deacetylbaccatin III, baccatin III, paclitaxel C,
and 7-epipaclitaxel were identified and quantified. Hazel extracts also showed biological activity, inhibiting metaphase
to anaphase transition in a human tumor cell line. The level of total taxanes in leaves was higher than in shells collected
in the same period from the same plants. However, the finding of these compounds in shells, which are considered
discarded material and are mass produced by many food industries, is of interest for the future availability of paclitaxel and other antineoplastic compounds