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Review
. 2022 Jun 2:13:902459.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.902459. eCollection 2022.

Research Progress in Pharmacological Activities and Applications of Cardiotonic Steroids

Junwei Ren  1 , Xinyuan Gao  1 , Xi Guo  2 , Ning Wang  1 , Xin Wang  3
Affiliations
Review

Research Progress in Pharmacological Activities and Applications of Cardiotonic Steroids

Junwei Ren et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Cardiotonic steroids (CTS) are a group of compounds existing in animals and plants. CTS are commonly referred to cardiac glycosides (CGs) which are composed of sugar residues, unsaturated lactone rings and steroid cores. Their traditional mechanism of action is to inhibit sodium-potassium ATPase to strengthen the heart and regulate heart rate, so it is currently widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and tachyarrhythmia. It is worth noticing that recent studies have found an avalanche of inestimable values of CTS applications in many fields such as anti-tumor, anti-virus, neuroprotection, and immune regulation through multi-molecular mechanisms. Thus, the pharmacological activities and applications of CTS have extensive prospects, which would provide a direction for new drug research and development. Here, we review the potential applications of CTS in cardiovascular system and other systems. We also provide suggestions for new clinical practical strategies of CTS, for many diseases. Four main themes will be discussed, in relation to the impact of CTS, on 1) tumors, 2) viral infections, 3) nervous system diseases and 4) immune-inflammation-related diseases.

Keywords: antitumor; antiviral; cardiotonic steroids (CTS); immune regulation; neuroprotection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Basic skeleton of CGs. CGs is the most common type of CTS. The lactone moiety defines the functional class of each compound. Cardenolides contain a five-membered unsaturated butyrolactone ring, whereas bufadienolides contain a six-membered unsaturated pyrone ring.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Spatial configuration of CTS. Ring A/B and ring C/D of compound 1 are cis-junction, while ring B/C is trans-junction; Ring A/B of compound 2 is transfused which is less common.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The relationship between heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Biological activity of CTS in PCa.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Schematic diagram of the antitumor mechanisms of CTS.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Effects of different concentrations of CTS on the cellular immune system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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