Fundamentals of Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Administration Practice Test 2025 - Free Immunotherapy Practice Questions and Study Guide

Paclitaxel is classified as a plant alkaloid because it is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia. Plant alkaloids are a category of drugs that originate from natural plant sources and typically have significant effects on cell division processes. Paclitaxel specifically acts by stabilizing the microtubule structures in cancer cells, preventing their normal breakdown during cell division, which leads to cell cycle arrest and ultimately induces apoptosis (programmed cell death).

This mechanism of action is characteristic of plant alkaloids, which often target the mitotic spindle apparatus and interfere with normal mitosis. In contrast, antimetabolites, which are used to disrupt DNA and RNA synthesis, and nitrosoureas, which are a type of alkylating agent that can cross the blood-brain barrier, operate through different mechanisms of action. Antitumor antibiotics primarily work by inhibiting DNA synthesis through direct interaction with DNA but do not fall under the plant alkaloid category. Thus, the classification of Paclitaxel as a plant alkaloid is consistent with its source and mechanism of action within the framework of chemotherapy drugs.