Bufadienolide is a chemical compound with

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

structure. Its derivatives are collectively known as bufadienolides, including many in the form of bufadienolide

glycosides In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

(bufadienolides that contain structural groups derived from sugars). These are a type of cardiac glycoside, the other being the cardenolide glycosides. Both bufadienolides and their glycosides are toxic; specifically, they can cause an atrioventricular block,

bradycardia Bradycardia (also sinus bradycardia) is a slow resting heart rate, commonly under 60 beats per minute (BPM) as determined by an electrocardiogram. It is considered to be a normal heart rate during sleep, in young and healthy or elderly adults, a ...

(slow heartbeat), ventricular tachycardia (a type of rapid heartbeat), and possibly lethal cardiac arrest.

Etymology

The term derives from the toad genus '' Bufo'' that contains bufadienolide glycosides, the suffix ''-adien-'' that refers to the two double bonds in the lactone ring, and the ending ''-olide'' that denotes the lactone structure. Consequently, related structures with only one double bond are called ''bufenolides'', and the saturated equivalent is ''bufanolide''. Bufanolide structure

Classification

According to MeSH, bufadienolides and bufanolides are classified as follows: * Polycyclic compounds **

Steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

s *** Cardanolides **** Cardiac glycosides *****Bufanolides (includes bufenolides, bufadienolides, bufatrienolides) ****** Proscillaridin ****** Daigremontianin ***** Cardenolides

Etymology

Classification

References

Further reading