[Protective effect of vinpocetine on experimental brain ischemia]

The protective effect of vinpocetine on experimental brain ischemia was studied in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) with bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) and in Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) subjected to BCAO and hemorrhage (1% of body weight). In SHRSP with BCAO, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of vinpocetine (1 mg/kg) 10 min before BCAO significantly prolonged the time required for the onset of ischemic seizure from 65 +/- 13 min (mean +/- SEM) to 117 +/- 19 min. In WKY with BCAO and hemorrhage, vinpocetine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the lactate level in the cerebral cortex from 11.6 +/- 2.7 mmol/g to 5.9 +/- 1.2 mmol/g and elevated the concentration of ATP from 2.05 +/- 0.09 mmol/g to 2.25 +/- 0.03 mmol/g. These results suggest a protective effect of vinpocetine against brain ischemia.