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Combretum caffrum is the South African Bushwillow tree. An extract from the bark was used as poison by Zulu warriors, is used as a general tonic, and now shows promise for cancer treatments. A variety of anti-cancer compounds called combretastatins are found within the tree bark, the most potent of which is combretastatin A-4[citation needed]. Combretastatins bind to the protein tubulin which is essential to cytoskeletal architecture, intercellular transport, cell migration, wound healing, and mitotic spindle development for chromosome segregation and cell division. A member of the mitotic inhibitor class of anti-cancer drugs, combretastatin disrupts tumor blood vessel networks.
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