A Study On The Relationship Of Paclitaxel Content And Leaf Morphology Of Taxus Chinensis Var. Mairei

Paclitaxel is a broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug widely used in clinic. It is extracted from Taxus species. Taxus chinensis var. mairei is the most widely distributed Taxus species in China. long-term felling and using an well as its own breed characteristics made it endangered. Now it is a key protected wild plant species in China. Cultivated T. chinensis var. mairei is an important means to solve the shortage of natural resources. The paclitaxel content of T. chinensis var. mairei is low and different among individual. This study analyze the paclitaxel content of the shoot of cultivated Taxus chinensis var. mairei using supersonic extraction and HPLC in order to find the plant that have a high content. And then analyze the correlation between paclitaxel content and leaf morphology. The purpose of this study was to provide a reference for the identification of high paclitaxel content tree and production of T. chinensis var. mairei. The main conclusions are as follows:1. The average content paclitaxel in foliage of cultivated T. chinensis var. mairei is 0.0127%. The highest concentrations reached 0.0440%(No.06-050), while the lowest content of only 0.0018%(No.09-072).a difference of 24 times.2. Paclitaxel contents of cultivated T. chinensis var. mairei are different between months. Average content in June (0.0181%) is higher than in September (0.0086%). This is consistent with the optimal harvest of the traditional leafy herbal medicines. June is the best time for harvest of leaves.3. There is no significant linear correlation between paclitaxel content and leaf shape index. But the leaf shape indexed of high paclitaxel content plants are in a certain range.4. There has significant correlation between paclitaxel content and Chromaticity. The leaf images of high paclitaxel content plants are more colorful. Compared to June and September, the average content is higher and the leaf images are more green in June. But within one month, the leaf images of high paclitaxel content plants are yellow. This requires further study of the relationship between paclitaxel content and leaf pigment content.