[Recent results in the field of vinblastine group antitumour alkaloids. Biochemical studies].

Studies on the interaction between vinblastine-like alkaloids and their receptor, i.e. tubulin, are reported. They shed some light on the structure-activity relationships in this medicinally important series: the configuration at C14' and C16', as well as the presence of the methoxycarbonyl group on C16' seem to play an essential role in the determination of biological activity. A new analogue, detected by its specific behaviour with tubulin, was found, in vivo, to be as active and less toxic than vinblastine.