Used primarily in research settings as a biochemical tool to study microtubule dynamics due to its potent antimitotic activity. It inhibits cell division by preventing microtubule assembly, making it valuable in cancer research for understanding mitotic mechanisms and developing potential chemotherapeutic agents. Also employed in plant biology to induce polyploidy in crop improvement programs. Its structural similarity to colchicine allows it to serve as a reference compound in structure-activity relationship studies of tubulin-binding agents.