Cinobufagin is a bufadienolide compound extracted from the dried venom secreted by the parotid glands of toads and one of the glycosides in the traditional Chinese medicine ChanSu, with potential antineoplastic activity. Cinobufagin has been shown to have clinical applications in cancer treatment as well as immunomodulatory and analgesic properties. Cinobufagin induces apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells through inactivation of Notch signaling. Cinobufagin induces autophagy-mediated cell death in human osteosarcoma U2OS cells through the ROS/JNK/p38 signaling pathway. Cinobufagin significantly relieved cancer pain in mice and raised their pain threshold, mainly upregulating the expression levels of beta-Endorphin and μ- opioid receptor in the hind paw tumor and adjacent tissue. In combination with gemcitabine-oxaliplatin cinobufagin was used in clinical trial for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic gallbladder carcinoma.

Senegenin (Tenuigenin) is a natural product from Polygala tenuifolia used in Chinese medicine to improve memory and intelligence. Senegenin attenuated hepatic ischemia-reperfusion induced cognitive dysfunction via increasing NR2B expression in rat hippocampus. Senegenin displayed antiapoptotic and antioxidative activity in hippocampal neurons due to scavenging of intracellular reactive oxygen species, regulating Bcl-2 family and suppressing caspase-3 activity. In vitro studies have indicated that senegenin treatment suppresses secretion of amyloid β protein and attenuate its cytotoxicity. Anti-inflammatory effect of senegenin is expressed via inhibition of NF-κB activation and was investigated in preclinical models of pneumonia, osteoarthritis, acute liver injury and other diseases.