Recent developments in synthetic strategies toward highly oxygenated steroids cardenolides

Abstract

Polyoxygenated steroids cardenolides, typified by ouabagenin, possess a broad spectrum of biological activity such as inotropic activity. Due to their unique structure, including unusual cis-fused A/B- and C/D ring junction, and a number of β-configured oxygenated functional group, they have been an attractive target in chemical synthesis. In this review, recent developments in the practical synthetic strategies toward these cardenolides are described.