Abstract
The yew tree (Taxus spp.) is a dicot gymnosperm belonging to the Taxaceae family and it can be found in America, Europe and Asia. These trees have in their bark and leaves diterpenic alkaloids known as taxoids, which are chemically characterized by the presence of a taxane skeleton and an oxetane ring such as taxol, which is used in the treatment of ovarian, breast, prostate and lung cancer; disease that is currently one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Taxol content is low in trees, so it is necessary to use biotechnology alternatives such as in vitro cultivation of plant tissue to increase the amount of taxoids and preserve the natural resource. The chemical characteristics of taxoids, the mechanism of the biological action and the semi-synthetic organic of taxol were reported in this scientific review; as well as, the biosynthetic pathway of major taxoids and the main enzymes involved in obtaining taxoids at biochemical level and, finally the production of taxoids in vitro cultures is indicated.
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