Antitumor Effect of Water Decoctions ofTaxusCuspidate on Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

TheTaxuscuspidate has been used as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb and considered to affect various physiological functions in the body for thousands of years. As we know that taxol isolated from theTaxuscuspidate has been approved for the treatment of ovarian cancer, it has also shown its antitumor abilities against other kinds of cancers. But the antitumor activity of other components which are free of paclitaxel and hydrophilic paclitaxel derivatives fromTaxuscuspidate has not been fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of the water decoctions from the leaves ofTaxuscuspidate on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and the potential mechanism(s); though its antitumor activity and mechanismin vitroremain to be elucidated, the water soluble constituents fromTaxuscuspidate could be used in clinical for cancer patients.