10-Deacetyl-7-xylosyl paclitaxel

10-Deacetyl-7-xylosyl paclitaxel is a Paclitaxel (a microtubule stabilizing agent; enhances tubulin polymerization) derivative with improved pharmacological features. IC50 value: Target: Microtubule inhibitor 10-Deacetyl-7-xylosyl paclitaxel induced mitotic cell cycle arrest and apoptosis as measured by flow cytometry, DNA laddering, and transmission electron microscopy. Pro-apoptotic Bax and Bad protein expression was up-regulated and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expression down-regulated, which lead to a disturbance of the mitochondrial membrane permeability and to the activation of caspase-9. In turn, caspase-9 activated downstream caspases-3 and -6, but not caspase-8. Bid was also activated by caspase-3. Reversely, treatment with a caspase-10-specific inhibitor could not protect PC-3 cells from 7-xylosyl-10-deacetyl-paclitaxel-triggered apoptosis. Moreover, 7-xylosyl-10-deacetylpaclitaxel had no effect on the expression of CD95 and NF-kappaB proteins, indicating that apoptosis was induced through the mitochondrial-dependent pathway in PC-3 cells.