Taxol - Chilarity

Question 1

chirality

Answer 1

molecule whose enantiomers are non-superimposable on their mirror images

Question 2

chiral auxiliaries

Answer 2

compounds that contain a chiral centre, which are inserted during the drug synthesis phase to promote the production of the correct enantiomer

Question 3

how are enantiomers tested for purity?

Answer 3

2 enantiomers can be distinguished using plane polarised light from a polarimeter (if the angle is smaller, both enantiomers are present)

Question 4

using chiral auxiliaries

Answer 4

forms 2 enantiomers which is then separated with the incorrect one being discarded

Question 5

class of compounds in chiral

Answer 5

oxazolidinones, contain a chiral carbon in the ring structure and are made from amino acids, which are also chiral

Question 6

taxol

Answer 6

drug that involves synthesis with chiral auxiliaries in paclitaxel

Question 7

what is taxol used for?

Answer 7

treating various cancers (ovarian, lung, pancreatic)

Question 8

how is taxol administered?

Answer 8

through intravenous injection

Question 9

synthesis of taxol

Answer 9

• semi-synthesised chemically using a precursor from needles of European yew tree
• also synthesised by biosynthesis using bacteria, plant cell cultures and fungus that grows on yew tree

Question 10

cancer

Answer 10

uncontrolled growth and division of cells that make a mass (tumour) which spread to other parts of the body

Question 11

how do cells become damaged and why can they no longer survive?

Answer 11

• damaged when exposed to chemicals or gamma radiation that cause DNA damage
• damaged cells no longer have checkpoints to ensure cell division at the right time for the right reason

Question 12

how do taxols work?

Answer 12

interferes with process of cell divison/mitosis which prevents growth/division or cancer cells

Question 13

4 things that happen when taxol is present

Answer 13

1. cell division will stop at the metaphase which freezes the cell
2. specifically interferes with spindle fibres development
3. spindle fibres clog cells, preventing genetic material from dividing
4. cancer cells cannot finish division and have optosis checkpoint (cell death) initiated

Question 14

what causes side effects of taxol?

Answer 14

taxol targets rapidly dividing cells, which means it also targets non-cancer cells that also undergo rapid cell division