Epothilone D

· A natural polyketide compound isolated from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum. Also known as desoxyepothilone B, epothilone D binds to tubulin and inhibits the disassembly of microtubules, resulting in the inhibition of mitosis, cellular proliferation, and cell motility · As an inducer of tubulin polymerization, EpoD is equivalent to other epothilones and more potent than paclitaxel, although its antiproliferative activity is somewhat less than that of other epothilones. In contrast to paclitaxel, EpoD demonstrates efficacy in a wide variety of tumors, including those resistant to paclitaxel, vinblastine, and doxorubicin. Perhaps one of the major advantages of EpoD is that it is less toxic than the other epothilone analogs.