Na+/K+‑ATPase-Targeted Cytotoxicity of (+)-Digoxin and Several Semisynthetic Derivatives

(+)-Digoxin (1) is a well-known cardiac glycoside long used to treat congestive heart failure and found more recently to show anticancer activity. Several known cardenolides (2-5) and two new analogues, (+)-8(9)-β-anhydrodigoxigenin (6) and (+)-17-epi-20,22-dihydro-21α-hydroxydigoxin (7), were synthesized from 1 and evaluated for their cytotoxicity toward a small panel of human cancer cell lines. A preliminary structure-activity relationship investigation conducted indicated that the C-12 and C-14 hydroxy groups and the C-17 unsaturated lactone unit are important for 1 to mediate its cytotoxicity toward human cancer cells, but the C-3 glycosyl residue seems to be less critical for such an effect. Molecular docking profiles showed that the cytotoxic 1 and the noncytotoxic derivative 7 bind differentially to Na+/K+-ATPase. The HO-12β, HO-14β, and HO-3'aα hydroxy groups of (+)-digoxin (1) may form hydrogen bonds with the side-chains of Asp121 and Asn122, Thr797, and Arg880 of Na+/K+-ATPase, respectively, but the altered lactone unit of 7 results in a rotation of its steroid core, which depotentiates the binding between this compound and Na+/K+-ATPase. Thus, 1 was found to inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase, but 7 did not. In addition, the cytotoxic 1 did not affect glucose uptake in human cancer cells, indicating that this cardiac glycoside mediates its cytotoxicity by targeting Na+/K+-ATPase but not by interacting with glucose transporters

Cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic cardiac glycosides isolated from the combined flowers, leaves, and twigs of Streblus asper

A new non-cytotoxic [(+)-17β-hydroxystrebloside (1)] and two known cytotoxic [(+)-3'-de-O-methylkamaloside (2) and (+)-strebloside (3)] cardiac glycosides were isolated and identified from the combined flowers, leaves, and twigs of Streblus asper collected in Vietnam, with the absolute configuration of 1 established from analysis of its ECD and NMR spectroscopic data and confirmed by computational ECD calculations. A new 14,21-epoxycardanolide (3a) was synthesized from 3 that was treated with base. A preliminary structure-activity relationship study indicated that the C-14 hydroxy group and the C-17 lactone unit and the established conformation are important for the mediation of the cytotoxicity of 3. Molecular docking profiles showed that the cytotoxic 3 and its non-cytotoxic analogue 1 bind differentially to Na+/K+-ATPase. Compound 3 docks deeply in the Na+/K+-ATPase pocket with a sole pose, and its C-10 formyl and C-5, C-14, and C-4' hydroxy groups may form hydrogen bonds with the side-chains of Glu111, Glu117, Thr797, and Arg880 of Na+/K+-ATPase, respectively. However, 1 fits the cation binding sites with at least three different poses, which all depotentiate the binding between 1 and Na+/K+-ATPase. Thus, 3 was found to inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase, but 1 did not. In addition, the cytotoxic and Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitory 3 did not affect glucose uptake in human lung cancer cells, against which it showed potent activity, indicating that this cardiac glycoside mediates its cytotoxicity by targeting Na+/K+-ATPase but not by interacting with glucose transporters