Bufalin is a traditional oriental medicines, originally isolated from the Chinese toad venom. Bufalin is a cardiotonic steroid that has the potential to induce differentiation and apoptosis of tumor cells. Research on bufalin has so far mainly involved leukemia, prostate cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer, and has been confined to in vitro studies. The bufadienolides bufalin and cinobufagin have been shown to induce apoptosis in a wide spectrum of cancer cell. Bufalin has being shown to be a potent small-molecule inhibitor of the steroid receptor coactivators SRC-3 and SRC-1. Bufalin is a component of Huachansu, a Chinese medicine that comes from dried toad venom from the skin glands of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor or B.melanotictus Schneider, has been used in the treatment of various cancers in China.

Neriifolin is a cardenolide glycoside that is digitoxigenin in which the hydroxy goup at position 3 has been converted to its 6-deoxy-3-O-methyl-alpha-L-glucopyranoside derivative. Found in the seeds of Cerbera odollamand in Thevetia ahouia and Thevitia neriifolia. Neriifolin reduced viability of cancer cells, induced S and G2/M phase arrests of the cell cycle, and stimulated apoptosis.

Bretylium (bretylium tosylate) is an antifibrillatory and antiarrhythmic agent. Bretylium is abromobenzyl quaternary ammonium compound which selectively accumulates in sympathetic ganglia and their postganglionic adrenergic neurons where it inhibits norepinephrine release by depressing adrenergic nerve terminal excitability. The drug has a direct positive inotropic effect on the myocardium and blocking effect on postganglionic sympathetic nerve transmission. The drug is poorly absorbed orally, requiring either i.m. or i.v. administration.

Deslanoside is a cardiotonic glycoside from the leaves of Digitalis lanata. It is used to treat congestive heart failure and supraventricular arrhythmias due to reentry mechanisms, and to control ventricular rate in the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation. Deslanoside inhibits the Na-K-ATPase membrane pump, resulting in an increase in intracellular sodium and calcium concentrations. Increased intracellular concentrations of calcium may promote activation of contractile proteins (e.g., actin, myosin). It also acts on the electrical activity of the heart, increasing the slope of phase 4 depolarization, shortening the action potential duration, and decreasing the maximal diastolic potential.

Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside derived from the purple foxglove flower. In 1785, the English chemist, botanist, and physician Sir William Withering published his findings that Digitalis purpurea could be used to treat cardiac dropsy (congestive heart failure; CHF). Digoxin has been in use for many years, but was not approved by the FDA for treatment of heart failure (HF) until the late 1990s. Another FDA indication for digoxin is atrial fibrillation (AF). Digoxin also has numerous off-label uses, such as in fetal tachycardia, supra-ventricular tachycardia, cor pulmonale, and pulmonary hypertension. Digitoxin inhibits the Na-K-ATPase membrane pump, resulting in an increase in intracellular sodium and calcium concentrations. Increased intracellular concentrations of calcium may promote activation of contractile proteins (e.g., actin, myosin). Digoxin also has Para sympathomimetic properties. By increasing vagal tone in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular (AV) nodes, it slows the heart rate and AV nodal conduction.

Salinomycin as a promising anticancer drug candidate exerts anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic activities by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2-mediated angiogenesis. Its salt, salinomycin sodium, is an ionophore anticoccidial for use in chickens to prevent coccidiosis caused by Eimeria tenella, E.necatrix, E.acervulina, E.maxima, E.brunetti and E.mivati.

Thevetin A is a steroidal (cardiac) glycoside that has been isolated from the seed kernels. Cardiotonic. It is a Na+-, K+-dependent adenosinetriphosphatase (Na+,K+-ATPase) inhibitor.

Magnesium levulinate, the magnesium salt of levulinic acid, is a mineral supplement. It has been shown that in some cases of congenital non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia (CNSHA) with pyruvate kinase deficiency, the primary defect may be related to diminished magnesium-stimulated ATPase activity, followed by elevation of the erythrocyte ATP level. In CNSHA patients the administration of Magnesium levulinate was followed by an increase in PK activity almost to the control value. This may indicate that magnesium ions stimulate deficient ATPase activity and lead to diminution of ATP as a negative effector for other regulatory enzymes.

Uzarigenin is a Na(+), K(+)-ATPase inhibitor; potential anticancer drug. Uzarigenin is a component of Uzara, which has been used for a long time in traditional medicine to treat diarrheal disorders, but the mode of action is not fully known. In Germany, Uzara (Stada, Bad Vilbel, Germany) is frequently used as over-the-counter preparation of the Uzara root, containing 40 mg glycosides/ml.

Cymarin (or cymarine or k-strophanthidin-alpha) is a cardiac glycoside and an anti-arrhythmia and cardiotonic agent. Cymarin works as an inhibitor of Na+ /K+-ATPase . This inhibition has an inotropic effect on the cardiac muscles increasing their force by approximately 100%.