Paclitaxel, 1 a diterpenoid originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew, Taxus breVifolia, is a powerful antimitotic agent2 that acts by promoting tubulin assembly into stable aggregated structures. Although paclitaxel has shown tremendous potential as an anticancer compound, 3 its use as an anticancer drug is compromised by its poor aqueous solubility. For this reason, a number of water-soluble paclitaxel prodrugs have been ...
