Taxines: a review of the mechanism and toxicity of yew (Taxus spp.) alkaloids

This literature review summarizes relevant information and recent progress regarding the scientific investigations of taxine alkaloids. Taxines are th e active, poisonous constituents in yew plants (Taxus spp.) and have been i mplicated in animal and human poisonings. Several taxine alkaloids have bee n isolated and characterized through the use of high performance liquid chr omatography, mass spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Recently, a s a result of electrophysiological investigations, significant progress has been made with regard to their pharmacological and toxicological mechanism s of action. Current investigations suggest that their chief action is on c ardiac myocytes resulting in heart failure and death in instances of animal and human poisoning. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.