Taxane anticancer formulations: challenges and achievements

Abstract

Taxanes represent a prominent anticancer family. Paclitaxel and docetaxel are the most well-known taxanes owing to their activity against many types of cancers. The poor solubility of taxanes in water is a major obstacle toward the development of taxane formulations. In this chapter, an introduction about taxanes in terms of their pharmacology, solubility, and stability was provided. Then, we reviewed the traditional delivery systems of taxanes (e.g., formulations of paclitaxel solubilized in Cremophor EL) and the novel nanocarrier systems based on using lipid and polymeric materials. Commercially available formulations of paclitaxel such as Taxol, Abraxane, and Genexol-PM were discussed in this chapter.