Recent clinical trials and optical control as a potential strategy to develop microtubule-targeting drugs in colorectal cancer management

Figure 1 The chemical structures of combretastatin CA-4 (left) and photostatin photoswitchable photostatins-1[56]. Both compounds have either the C=C or N=N double-bond that can induce photo-isomerization by light (circle).

Figure 2 The chemical structures of paclitaxel (top right) with an azobenzene derivative (top left) and docetaxel with a styrylbenzothiazole derivative (bottom). The photo-switchable C=C or N=N double-bond is highlighted (dotted circle). Each group is conjugated to the left arm of taxanes (arrows), resulting AzTax3MP[58] and SBTax[60], respectively.

Figure 3 The chemical structures of STEpo2[60], a photo-switchable derivative of epothilone D. The photo-switchable C=C double-bond (dotted circle) in the attached styrylthiazole group. The rectangle indicates the core structure of epothilone D.