Digoxin and its Na+/K+-ATPase-targeted actions on cardiovascular diseases and cancer

Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) is a plasma membrane ion-transporting protein involved in the generation and maintenance of Na⁺ and K⁺ gradients across the cell membrane, which can produce a driving force for the secondary transport of metabolic substrates. NKA also regulates intracellular calcium that is responsible for modulating numerous cellular processes, while it interacts with many other proteins and functions as a signal transducer, with several signaling pathways being involved. Thus, NKA has become an important target for the treatment of human diseases. Cardiac glycosides are well-known NKA inhibitors, of which (+)-digoxin or digoxin has been long used for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Also, digoxin has exhibited potential antitumor activity, by targeting directly HIF-1α, NKA, and NF-κB. Thus, the function of NKA in human cardiovascular diseases and cancer and the therapeutic effects of digoxin on these diseases are summarized in the present review, with the correlations among digoxin, NKA, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer being discussed. Presented herein are also the antitumor potential of monosaccharide cardiac glycoside analogues of digoxin, including (−)-cryptanoside A, (−)-oleandrin, (−)-ouabain, and (+)-strebloside. It is hoped that this contribution will provide some helpful information for the design and discovery of new cardiac glycoside-type therapeutic agents for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.