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Human cataractous lens nuclei extract inhibited, in a dose-dependent fashion, [3H]ouabain binding to rat brain synaptosomes and microsomal Na+-and K+-dependent adenosine triphosphate (Na+ , K+-ATPase) activity and interacted with anti-digoxin antibodies. The compounds responsible for these activities, termed digitalis-like compounds (DLC), were also detected in bovine, rat, cat and rabbit, normal, transparent lenses, but the levels were only 0.7-5.4% of the average levels in the cataractous human lenses. DLC from the human cataractous lenses were purified by a procedure consisting of organic extractions and batch chromatography followed by filtration through a 3000 Da cut-off filter and subsequent separations using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The presence of DLC in the different fractions obtained in the chromatograms was monitored by their ability to inhibit [3H]ouabain binding and Na+, K+-ATPase activity. Based on chemical ionization mass spectrometry together with ultraviolet spectrometry and biological characterization, it is suggested that new bufodienolides, 19-norbufalin and 19-norbufalin peptide derivatives are responsible for the endogenous DLC activity. It is proposed that these compounds may regulate Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the lens under some physiological and pathological conditions.The Na+-and K+-dependent adenosine triphosphate (Na+, K'-ATPase) is an integral plasma membrane protein responsible for the maintenance of Na+ and K' concentration gradients in all eukaryotic cells. Since Na+, K'-ATPase has a high-affinity receptor for digitalis steroids, it has been postulated that there are endogenous ligands for these receptors which regulate the Na+, K' pump activity. Indeed, based on their ability to inhibit ['Hlouabain binding and Na+, K+-ATPase activity, digitalis-like compounds (DLC) have been shown to be present in the brain [l-31, heart [4] [24]. However, none of these compounds appears to be the natural ligand of the digitalis receptor of the Na+, K+-ATPase because of their limited specificity and affinity. Bufodienolides, which resemble the structure of the plant cardiac glycosides, have been identified in the plasma, brain and other tissues of toads [14, 15, 25, 261, however, their

The endogenous cardiac steroid-like compounds, endogenous ouabain (EO) in particular, are present in the human circulation and are considered putative ligands of the inhibitory binding site of the plasma membrane Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase. A vast amount of data shows that, when added to cell cultures, these steroids promote the growth of cardiac, vascular, and epithelial cells. However, the involvement of the endogenous compounds in the regulation of cell viability and proliferation has never been addressed experimentally. In this study, we show that EO is present in mammalian sera and cerebral spinal fluid, as well as in commercial bovine and horse sera. The lowering of serum EO concentration by the addition of specific anti-ouabain antibodies caused a decrease in the viability of several cultured cell lines. Among these, neuronal NT2 cells were mostly affected, whereas no reduction in viability was seen in rat neuroendocrine PC12 and monkey kidney COS-7 cells. The anti-ouabain antibody-induced reduction in NT2 cell viability was significantly attenuated by the addition of ouabain and was not observed in cells growing in serum-free media. Furthermore, the addition to the medium of low concentrations (nM) of the cardenolide ouabain, but not of the bufadienolide bufalin, increased NT2 and PC12 cell viability and proliferation. In addition, at these concentrations both ouabain and bufalin caused the activation of ERK1/2 in the NT2 cells. The specific ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 inhibited both the ouabain-induced activation of the enzyme and the increase in cell viability. Furthermore, anti-ouabain antibodies attenuated serum-stimulated ERK1/2 activity in NT2 but not in PC12 cells. Cumulatively, our results suggest that EO plays a significant role in the regulation of cell viability. In addition, our findings support the notion that activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway is obligatory but not sufficient for the induction of cell viability by EO.

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