A Novel Approach of Water-Soluble Paclitaxel Prodrug with No Auxiliary and No Byproduct: Design and Synthesis of Isotaxel

A novel water-soluble paclitaxel prodrug, isotaxel 2, that realizes a higher water-solubility and the formation of paclitaxel through a simple pH-dependent chemical mechanism via the O-N acyl migration was synthesized and showed promising results in water-solubility and kinetics. This prodrug, a 2'-O-benzoyl isoform of paclitaxel, has no additional functional auxiliaries released during conversion to paclitaxel, which would be a great advantage in toxicology and medical economics.