The cardiac glycoside digitoxin, consisting of a steroid core linked to a labile trisaccharide, has been used for centuries for the treatment of congestive heart failure. The well known pharmacological effect is a result of the ability of cardiac glycosides to inhibit the Na+, K+- ATPase. Within recent years cardiac glycosides have furthermore been suggested to possess valuable anticancer activity. To mimic the labile trisaccharide of digitoxin with a ...