Open Access Review

Reassessing specificity/selectivity of taxane-based chemotherapy

by Elizabeth R. Smith a,b ,  Zheshen Li c ,  Zhe-Sheng Chen c  and  Xiang-Xi Xu a,d,* orcid
a
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
b
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
c
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, Queens, NY, 11439, USA
d
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
CI  2023, 27; 3(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.58567/ci03010002
Received: 14 September 2023 / Accepted: 30 October 2023 / Published Online: 29 November 2023
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Abstract

The paramount prerequisite for effective anti-cancer drugs is their ability to eradicate malignant cells while sparing non-cancer cells. The divergence in properties between malignant and non-cancer cells establishes a "therapeutic window," a critical consideration for achieving desirable treatment outcomes. Central to this is the imperative of a cancer drug's "selectivity and specificity." Taxanes, a pivotal class of successful anti-cancer drugs, continue to serve as the linchpin of cancer treatment due to their efficacy across a spectrum of cancer types. Operating as broad-spectrum chemotherapeutic agents, taxanes exert cytotoxic effects on proliferative cancer cells by binding to and stabilizing microtubules, disrupting mitosis, inducing mitotic catastrophe, and resulting in cell death. The distinct proliferative nature of cancer cells, as opposed to less proliferative non-cancer cells, affords taxanes a measure of specificity and selectivity. Nevertheless, sporadic yet recurring evidence suggests that taxanes also operate through non-mitotic mechanisms. Taxanes' binding and stabilization of microtubules lead to micronucleation and subsequent cell death, impacting both mitotic and non-mitotic cells. Recent discoveries indicate that the flexible and weakened nuclear envelope of malignant cells renders them sensitive to taxane-mediated micronucleation and cell death during various phases of the cell cycle. Conversely, non-cancerous cells typically exhibit a more robust and sturdy nuclear envelope, rendering them more tolerant to taxane-induced nuclear envelope fragmentation and subsequent micronucleation and cell death. The expression levels of nuclear envelope structural proteins, particularly Lamin A/C, emerge as indicators of taxane sensitivity. This evolving understanding underscores that nuclear envelope malleability, in conjunction with a high proliferation rate, is a pivotal determinant of taxane specificity and selectivity against malignant cells. These insights necessitate reconsidering oncological strategies to augment taxane efficacy, overcome resistance, and mitigate side effects.

Keywords: taxanes; Taxol; paclitaxel; microtubules; mitosis; proliferation; nuclear envelope; micronuclei; drug resistance; drug mechanism;
Copyright: © 2023 by Smith, Li, Chen and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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Funding

NIH-NCI (R01 CA79716) , CDMRP DoD Concept and Pilot Awards (LC220190) , CDMRP DoD Concept and Pilot Awards (OC170318) , CDMRP DoD Concept and Pilot Awards (BC097189) , CDMRP DoD Concept and Pilot Awards (BC076832)

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ACS Style
Smith, E. R.; Li, Z.; Chen, Z.; Xu, X. Reassessing specificity/selectivity of taxane-based chemotherapy. Cancer Insight, 2024, 3, 27. https://doi.org/10.58567/ci03010002
AMA Style
Smith E R, Li Z, Chen Z, Xu X. Reassessing specificity/selectivity of taxane-based chemotherapy. Cancer Insight; 2024, 3(1):27. https://doi.org/10.58567/ci03010002
Chicago/Turabian Style
Smith, Elizabeth R.; Li, Zheshen; Chen, Zhe-Sheng; Xu, Xiang-Xi 2024. "Reassessing specificity/selectivity of taxane-based chemotherapy" Cancer Insight 3, no.1:27. https://doi.org/10.58567/ci03010002
APA style
Smith, E. R., Li, Z., Chen, Z., & Xu, X. (2024). Reassessing specificity/selectivity of taxane-based chemotherapy. Cancer Insight, 3(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.58567/ci03010002

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