Hello everybody,
Anthracyclines show good results in BRCA1-mutated tumors, but when taxanes are given at the same time, the combination therapy show worse results than anthracyclines alone.
Does somebody know, if taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel) have an additionally mode of action than only to be a spindle poison?
Best wishes...!!!
Hello,
There is evidence suggesting other possible mechanisms of action besides the inhibition of microtubule depolymerization. Similarly to anthracyclines, paclitaxel can induce generation of reactive oxygen species [http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/67/8/3512.full].
Moreover, paclitaxel may induce apoptosis via internucleosomal DNA fragmentation [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10230764]. Thus, there are possibly multiple mechanisms of action, but the effect to the microtubules seems most prominent.
Best wishes,
Ondrej