Intestinal Absorption of Cardiac Steroids

Summary 1. Six cardiotonic steroids—digitoxin, lanatoside E, acetyl strophanthidin, ouabain, bufalin and bovoside A—have been compared with reference to intestinal absorption in dogs with a chronic jejunal loop. 2. Because of the dominance of vomiting before electrocardiographic changes took place the median emetic dose was estimated after intravenous and intrajejunal injections in order to appraise the absorbability of each steroid from the intestine. 3. In the dog digitoxin and acetyl strophanthidin were more easily absorbed than lanatoside E and bufalin. Ouabain was least absorbed—less than 5%. Although bovoside easily crossed the intestinal membrane it produced persistent loss of appetite resulting in death.