Steroid bufenolides resulting from epoxidation of the 17
-2-pyrone ring of bufadienolides are rare. Five20,21-epoxybufenolides, namely, 20
S,21-epoxyresibufogenin (
1), 20
R,21-epoxyresibufogenin (
2), 3-
O-formyl-20
S,21-epoxyresibufogenin (
3), 3-
O-formyl-20
R,21-epoxyresibufogenin (
4), and 3-oxo-20
S,21-epoxyresibufogenin (
5), were isolated from the Chinese toad skin extract drug Ch'an Su. The structures were elucidatedby spectroscopic and chemical methods. The configuration at C-20 was assigned by the analysis ofdifference NOE spectra. The cancer cell (KB and MH-60) growth inhibition by the new 20,21-epoxybufenolides was examined, and 20,21-epoxides
1,
2, and
5 were found to significantly inhibit theleukemia MH-60 cell line.