Recent reports have shown the presence of a ouabain-like inhibitor of Na+/K(+)-ATPase in humans. We have purified a bovine hypothalamic Na+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitory factor (HIF) by using affinity chromatography combined with HPLC. This inhibitor has a molecular weight of 584 as determined by ion-spray mass spectrometry, making it isobaric with ouabain. Glycosidase treatment or acid hydrolysis of HIF released only L-rhamnose, the hexose isomer found in ouabain, as detected by chiral GC/MS. Additionally, enzymatically generated desrhamnosyl HIF was found to have a molecular weight of 438, as does ouabagenin, the aglycone of ouabain. HIF and its aglycone were indistinguishable from ouabain and ouabagenin, respectively, by reversed-phase HPLC retention times. However, derivatization with naphthoylimidazole followed by HPLC revealed different retention times for naphthoylation products of HIF and ouabain. Subsequent CD spectroscopy on isolated naphthoylation products of HIF and ouabain confirmed that they were different. This study provides chromatographic and spectroscopic evidence that ouabain and HIF are isomeric cardenolides. The structural difference is presumed to account for the significant differences in biological properties observed for HIF and ouabain.