Taxus brevifolia

Taxus brevifolia, the Pacific yew, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America. Its bark was the original source of paclitaxel, an anticancer drug.

Paclitaxel: A taxane drug that disrupts microtubule dynamics and is used to treat several cancers. The anticancer compound first isolated from Pacific yew bark.
Taxanes: A family of diterpenoid compounds that includes paclitaxel and can affect microtubules. Pacific yew produces taxane compounds, including the precursor from which paclitaxel was isolated.
Taxaceae: A family of conifers that includes yews and several related genera. Pacific yew belongs to this family of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs.
Sustainable harvesting: The collection of biological resources at rates that allow populations and ecosystems to persist. Removing bark can kill Pacific yews, making harvest methods central to paclitaxel supply.
National Cancer Institute plant screening program: A United States research program that screened plants for compounds with potential anticancer activity. Its plant-collection effort led to the testing of Pacific yew bark.
Baccatin III: A taxane diterpenoid that serves as a chemical precursor in paclitaxel synthesis. It is a close structural relative of paclitaxel found in yew tissues.
Taxus: A genus of evergreen conifers known as yews, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Taxus brevifolia is one species within this genus.
Natural product: A chemical substance produced by a living organism, often studied for biological activity. Paclitaxel is a natural product whose source shaped its discovery and production.
Drug discovery: The process of identifying and developing substances that can prevent or treat disease. Paclitaxel’s path from yew bark to medicine exemplifies natural-product drug discovery.
10-Deacetylbaccatin III: A taxane compound abundant in yew needles and used as a precursor for semisynthetic paclitaxel. Its renewable supply from yew foliage helped reduce dependence on destructive bark harvesting.

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