Taxus, a rare and protected genus predominantly distributed across the Northern Hemisphere\'s temperate regions, has garnered global attention due to its significant potential in medical research and pharmaceutical development, bolstered by advancements in cultivation techniques and medical technology. This review primarily focuses on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Taxus, underscoring the progress and potential of these components in clinical applications. Recent studies have revealed that Taxus contains not only taxane active components but also flavonoids and polysaccharides with distinct activities. These compounds from Taxus exhibit potent antitumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, and antidiabetic properties with evident mechanisms of action. Notably, the representative compound, paclitaxel, has demonstrated significant efficacy in treating various cancers, such as ovarian, breast, and lung cancer. This paper also reviews the basic situation of Taxus drug formulations, with extracts primarily administered orally and monomeric taxanes typically via injection, reflecting a mature development stage with ongoing research into oral formulations. Finally, this review summarizes the pharmacokinetic characteristics of crucial compounds in Taxus, including their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion patterns in the human body. These pharmacokinetic profiles provide crucial guidance for evaluating the overall dosing regimen of Taxus and its components. The paper concludes with a forward-looking analysis of the potential applications of these compounds in disease treatment, envisioning their role in the future of medical and pharmaceutical advancements.

UNASSIGNED: The bark of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), the largest afforestation tree species in the forest areas of southern China, is susceptible to injuries and bites from small animals. The population of small animals has recently increased owing to improvements in the ecological environment across various forested areas, thus increasing the incidence of injuries in the bark of Chinese fir. Following such injuries, the bark secretes light yellow or milky white secretions, the function of which remains unclear. The present study aimed to reveal the antibacterial effect of exudates of different Chinese fir cultivars on five bacterial species.
UNASSIGNED: The research involved three-year-old plantations of Taxus chinensis var. koraiensis and Yangkou3 and three-year-old container plantations of Taxus chinensis var. pendula, Yang 061, and Yang 020. The antibacterial effects of exudates were analyzed using the filter paper diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration for each secretion and the bacterial inhibition zone were determined.
UNASSIGNED: The exudates of the different Chinese fir bark exhibited notable antibacterial effects on Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella paratyphi B, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. However, the extent of these antibacterial effects varied among the different Chinese fir cultivars, as the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the exudates against the five bacterial species varied. The mean MIC of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was lower potency, whereas that of Escherichia coli was the lowest. Notably, the antibacterial efficacy of the exudates was mainly influenced by the composition of the secretions rather than the number of secretions, with organic acid compounds and terpenoids potentially contributing to the antibacterial effects against E. coli and Bacillus subtilis, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: This study demonstrates the antibacterial effect of wound secretion of different Chinese fir cultivars, highlighting their varying efficacy on different bacterial species. Moreover, the antibacterial ability of the exudates of the strains was mainly determined by the composition of the wound secretions, and there was no noticeable relationship with the number of wound secretions. The results of this study offers a theoretical basis for screen Chinese fir cultivars with high-disease-resistant.

Nitrogen plays an important role in both quantitative and qualitative aspects of plant reproduction, including pollen grain compounds and seed production. Recent studies have pointed out that pollen grains produced by male plants of T. baccata and J. communis subjected to a long period of fertilizer supplementation have lower in vitro germination ability and higher nitrogen content. To gain molecular insights into these observations, we conducted GC-MS analysis of both species to characterize the metabolomes of dry, mature pollen grains, which allowed for the identification and quantification of more than 200 metabolites. The results demonstrated that fertilizer supplementation impacts the relative content of 14 metabolites in J. communis (9 downregulated and 5 upregulated) and 21 in T. baccata (6 downregulated and 15 upregulated). Although plants showed little similarity in patterns, in metabolite profiles, both up and down fold-changes were observed. This is the first report on the gymnosperm pollen grain metabolomic profile and changes induced by long-term nitrogen and phosphorus supplementation. Pollen grains produced by fertilizer-supplemented male individuals had significantly lower relative content of linolenic acid, 5,6-dihydrouracil, maltotriose, galactonic acid, D-xylulose, and glycerol-α-phosphate but higher content of sorbitol, glucosamine, and 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol as well as n-acetyl-d-hexosamine, dimethyl phthalate, glycine, galactose-6-phosphate, D-fructose-6-phosphate, pyroglutamic acid, and 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropionic acid. Thus, in pollen grain samples earlier shown to have different germination abilities, the presence of different metabolites indicates a significant environmental impact on the quality of gymnosperm pollen grains.

After drought-induced embolism and repair, tree xylem may be weakened against future drought events (cavitation fatigue). As there are few data on cavitation fatigue in conifers available, we quantified vulnerability curves (VCs) after embolism/repair cycles on eight European conifer species. We induced 50% and 100% loss of conductivity (LC) with a cavitron, and analyzed VCs. Embolism repair was obtained by vacuum infiltration. All species demonstrated complete embolism repair and a lack of any cavitation fatigue after 50% LC . After 100% LC, European larch (Larix decidua), stone pine (Pinus cembra), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and silver fir (Abies alba) remained unaffected, while mountain pine (Pinus mugo), yew (Taxus baccata), and common juniper (Juniperus communis) exhibited 0.4-0.9 MPa higher vulnerability to embolism. A small cavitation fatigue observed in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was probably biased by incomplete embolism repair, as indicated by a correlation of vulnerability shifts and conductivity restoration. Our data demonstrate that cavitation fatigue in conifers is species-specific and depends on the intensity of preceding LC. The lack of fatigue effects after moderate LC, and relevant effects in only three species after high LC, indicate that conifers are relatively resistant against cavitation fatigue. This is remarkable considering the complex and delicate conifer pit architecture and may be important considering climate change projections.

Taxus stem barks can be used for extraction of paclitaxel. However, the composition of taxoids across the whole stem and the stem tissue-specificity of paclitaxel biosynthesis-related enzymes remain largely unknown. We used cultivated Taxus media trees for analyses of the chemical composition and protein of major stem tissues by an integrated metabolomic and proteomic approach, and the role of TmMYB3 in paclitaxel biosynthesis was investigated. The metabolomic landscape analysis showed differences in stem tissue-specific accumulation of metabolites. Phytochemical analysis revealed that there is high accumulation of paclitaxel in the phloem. Ten key enzymes involved in paclitaxel biosynthesis were identified, most of which are predominantly produced in the phloem. The full-length sequence of TmMYB3 and partial promoter sequences of five paclitaxel biosynthesis-related genes were isolated. Several MYB recognition elements were found in the promoters of TBT, DBTNBT and TS. Further in vitro and in vivo investigations indicated that TmMYB3 is involved in paclitaxel biosynthesis by activating the expression of TBT and TS. Differences in the taxoid composition of different stem tissues suggest that the whole stem of T. media has potential for biotechnological applications. Phloem-specific TmMYB3 plays a role in the transcriptional regulation of paclitaxel biosynthesis, and may explain the phloem-specific accumulation of paclitaxel.

Taxane diterpenes are secondary metabolites with an important pharmacological role in the treatment of cancer. Taxus spp. biofactories have been used for taxane production, but the lack of knowledge about the taxane biosynthetic pathway and its molecular regulation hinders their optimal function. The difficulties in introducing foreign genes in Taxus spp. genomes hinder the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in taxane production, and a new approach is required to overcome them. In this study, a reliable, simple and fast method to obtain Taxus � media protoplasts was developed, allowing their manipulation in downstream assays for the study of physiological changes in Taxus spp. cells. Using this method, Taxus protoplasts were transiently transfected for the first time, corroborating their suitability for transfection assays and the study of specific physiological responses. The two assayed transcription factors (BIS2 and TSAR2) had a positive effect on the expression of several taxane-related genes, suggesting their potential use for the improvement of taxane yields. Furthermore, the results indicate that the developed method is suitable for obtaining T. � media protoplasts for transfection with the aim of unraveling regulatory mechanisms in taxane production.

The mating system is a central parameter of plant biology because it shapes their ecological and evolutionary properties. Therefore, determining ecological variables that influence the mating system is important for a deeper understanding of the functioning of plant populations. Here, using old concepts and recent statistical developments, we propose a new statistical tool to make inferences about ecological determinants of outcrossing in natural plant populations. The method requires codominant genotypes of seeds collected from maternal plants within different locations. Using extensive computer simulations, we demonstrated that the method is robust to the issues expected for real-world data, including the Wahlund effect, inbreeding and genotyping errors such as allele dropout and allele misclassification. Furthermore, we showed that the estimates of ecological effects and outcrossing rates can be severely biased if genotyping errors and genetic differentiation are not treated explicitly. Application of the new method to the case study of a dioecious tree (Taxus baccata) allowed revealing that female trees that grow in lower local densities have a greater tendency towards mating with relatives. Moreover, we also demonstrated that biparental inbreeding is higher in populations that are characterized by a longer mean distance between trees and a smaller mean trunk perimeter. We found these results to agree with both the theoretical predictions and the history of English yew.

Genetic markers used in combination with network analysis can characterize the fine spatial pattern of seed dispersal and assess the differential contribution of dispersers. As a case study, we focus on the seed dispersal service provided by a small guild of frugivorous birds to the common yew, Taxus baccata L., in southern Spain. We build the spatial networks of seed dispersal events between trees and seed-plots within the studied population-local network-and the spatial network that includes all dispersal events-regional network. Such networks are structured in well-defined modules, i.e. groups of tightly connected mother trees and seed-plots. Neither geographical distance, nor microhabitat type explained this modular structure, but when long-distance dispersal events are incorporated in the network it shows a relative increase in overall modularity. Independent field observations suggested the co-occurrence of two complementary groups, short- and long-distance dispersers, mostly contributing to the local and regional seed rain, respectively. The main long-distance disperser at our site, Turdus viscivorus, preferentially visits the most productive trees, thus shaping the seed rain at the landscape scale and affecting the local modular organization. We end by discussing how DNA barcoding could serve to better quantify the role of functional diversity.

Taxanes are a class of bioactive compounds isolated from the Taxus species. 10-Deacetylbaccatin III is one of the popular taxane compounds with antitumor activity, but the pharmacokinetic profile of this compound remains elusive. Previously, we prepared the taxane fractions from the twigs and leaves of Taxus chinensis var. mairei containing 20.4 % 10-deacetylbaccatin III. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of 10-deacetylbaccatin III and biodistribution, and explore the potential changes when it was administered in the form of taxane extracts. A simple, sensitive, and reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of 10-deacetylbaccatin III in biosamples. The results showed that 10-deacetylbaccatin III, after oral dosing, displayed a quick absorption into the blood and distribution into major organs. Oral administration of 10-deacetylbaccatin III in the form of taxane mixtures led to a 16-fold increase in the systemic exposure of pure 10-deacetylbaccatin III, with the AUC0-U in the plasma increasing from 25.75 ± 11.34 to 231.36 ± 70.12 µg h/L (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the concentrations of 10-deacetylbaccatin III in major tissues were significantly enhanced when given in taxane extracts. These findings revealed pharmacokinetic interactions in the taxane components from T. chinensis var. mairei, which contributed to an enhanced systemic exposure of pharmacologically active taxanes.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of aqueous extract of Taxus chinensis var. mairei (AETC) combined Erlotnib on the growth of A549 xenograft in nude mice and its mechanism.
METHODS: The xenograft model in nude mice was established by inoculating A549 cells subcutaneously. BALB/c nude mice bearing A549 xenograft were randomly divided into six groups, i.e., the low dose Erlotinib group (A) , the standard dose Erlotnib group (B) , the low dose Erlotinib combined AETC group (C), the standard dose Erlotnib combined AETC group (D), the AETC group (E), the control group (F), 12 in each group. Different medication was performed for 7 successive weeks after 24 h. One mL blood was withdrawn and tumor tissues taken. The tumor inhibition rate was calculated. The combined effect was analyzed by Jin\'s Formula [Q = Ea + b/(Ea + Eb-Ea x Eb) ]. mRNA and protein expression levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in xenografts were detected using real-time RT-PCR and ELISA.
RESULTS: Compared with Group F, the xenograft weight was obviously lowered in Group B-E (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The q value was 0.92 in Group C and 0.96 in Group D, which was obtained by simple adding of the two drugs. Compared with Group F, EG- FR mRNA expression in Group D and E, COX-2 mRNA expression in Group A-E; Bcl-2 mRNA expression in Group B-D; COX-2 protein expression in Group B-E; Bcl-2 protein expression in Group C and D were obviously lowered with statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: AETC combined low dose and standard dose Erlotinib had synergistic effect on tumor inhibition. Its mechanism might be associated with down-regulating mRNA and protein expression levels of COX-2 and Bcl-2.