Chan O T, Yang L X
Department of Radiation Oncology, St Mary's Medical Center, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco 94117, USA.
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2000 Jul;49(4-5):181-5. doi: 10.1007/s002620000122.
In the past decade, taxanes have gained notoriety as promising chemotherapeutic agents against different forms of cancer. These molecules were initially characterized as mitotic inhibitors, and their anti-neoplastic actions were attributed to their ability to suppress cellular division via microtubule stabilization. Less appreciated is the observation that taxanes induce other biological effects, especially in the immune system. For example, taxanes are immunostimulatory against neoplasms, supporting the idea that these agents suppress cancer through several mechanisms and not solely through inhibiting cell division. In addition, these drugs potentially regulate other aspects of immune function, such as lymphocyte activation, giving further support to their immunomodulatory capacity. In summary, taxanes effect multiple actions and potentially have greater therapeutic application beyond cancer chemotherapy.
在过去十年中，紫杉烷类作为有望治疗多种癌症的化疗药物声名远扬。这些分子最初被表征为有丝分裂抑制剂，其抗肿瘤作用归因于它们通过微管稳定来抑制细胞分裂的能力。紫杉烷类还会引发其他生物学效应，尤其是在免疫系统中，这一点却较少受到关注。例如，紫杉烷类对肿瘤具有免疫刺激作用，这支持了这些药物通过多种机制而非仅仅通过抑制细胞分裂来抑制癌症的观点。此外，这些药物可能会调节免疫功能的其他方面，如淋巴细胞激活，这进一步证明了它们的免疫调节能力。总之，紫杉烷类具有多种作用，并且在癌症化疗之外可能有更广泛的治疗应用。
