STUDIES ON VERATRUM ALKALOIDS. XVII. THE ANTIVERATRINIC ACTION OF THE CARDIAC GLYCOSIDES AND OF BUFOTOXIN

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

The cardiac glycosides digoxin, ouabain, k-strophanthin, k-strophanthoside and scillaren B possess antiveratrinic activity. Bufotoxin has a similar effect. This has been demonstrated in the sartorius muscle of the frog under veratridine. The antiveratrinic activity resides in the aglycone, as was demonstrated by studies on strophanthidin. Dihydrostrophanthidin has a much lower antiveratrinic activity than strophanthidin. The structural isomer iso-strophanthidin and the stereoisomer allo-strophanthidin are inactive. Hence, chemical changes and stereochemical changes of strophanthidin which decrease or abolish its cardiac activity, correspondingly decrease or abolish its antiveratrinic property. Attention is drawn to differences between the antiveratrinic property of the cardiac glycosides and that of quinine and veratramine.