Identification of a ouabain-like compound in toad skin and plasma as a bufodienolide derivative.

An ouabain-like compound (OLC) was purified from toad skin. The purification procedure consisted of three sequential separations on HPLC using amino and reverse phase chromatography. Using UV, NMR and Mass spectroscopy the structure of the purified material is suggested to be mono-hydroxy-14,15-epoxy-20,22-dienolide glycoside (resibufogenin). Evidence is presented that this compound is also present in the toad plasma. It is suggested that the endogenous bufodienolide derivative participates in the physiological regulation of the Na+,K+-ATPase activity.