Effects of brovincamine on the stereological parameters of corticocerebral capillaries

A number of clinical studies in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency or symptoms resulting from multiple cerebral infarctions have shown that brovincamine significantly reduces the number of ischaemic regions and the left/right asymmetry of blood flow to the hemispheres, and brings about general improvement of the microcirculation. An optical-electronic image analysis technique was used to investigate whether brovincamine (7.5 mg/kg/day orally for 4 weeks) had any effect on stereological parameters of the corticocerebral capillaries of 1-year-old and 3-year-old OFA rats (n = 20). The older group of rats was included since in man changes in capillary geometry are known to be one of the manifestations of aging. The results show that brovincamine significantly increases the efficiency of capillary clearance, which is accompanied by an increase in capillary length and capillary volume per unit volume of tissue, resulting in a shortening of the mean intercapillary diffusion paths, a rise in capillary density and an increase in capillary diffusion area. No significant difference was observable between young and old rats. The changes in both groups of animals took the same form. From the above findings it was concluded that brovincamine improves the corticocerebral microcirculation by virtue of its effect on capillary geometry.