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Vn7.5
Vinpocetine Research
Likely helpsModerate safety
30 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Vinpocetine appears to help in 6 of 6 studies with measurable effects — the evidence leans clearly favourable.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 2003–2026 with a typical study size of 40 participants.
Based on 30 studies · 3 meta-analyses · 17 RCTs · 46,017 total participants
2Cognitive function improvementMeta-AnalysisCited 5×2023
Therefore, further large and well-designed studies are needed to support the evidence.
Sawangjit R et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR (2023)
Noticeable benefit
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Of these, 65% were rated critically low using AMSTAR2.
Of 90 unique outcomes, 41 (45.6%) were statistically significant based on random effects model (p ≤ .05).
The suggestive evidence supported benefits of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) plus pharmacotherapy (WMD:1.84; 95% CI: 1.34, 2.35) and Vinpocetine (WMD: -0.94; 95%CI: -1.50, -0.38) on improving cognitive function assessing by Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Syndrom-Kurz-Test, respectively.
4Neuroprotective effects in ischemic strokeSystematic ReviewCited 93×2021
This review will serve as a powerful reference for the screening of phytochemicals with potential clinical applications in ischemic stroke or the synthesis of new neuroprotective agents that take phytochemicals as leading compounds.
Xu H et al. · Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity (2021)
Among them, scutellarin, pinocembrin, puerarin, hydroxysafflor yellow A, salvianolic acids, rosmarinic acid, borneol, bilobalide, ginkgolides, ginsenoside Rd, and vinpocetine show great potential in clinical ischemic stroke treatment.
This review will serve as a powerful reference for the screening of phytochemicals with potential clinical applications in ischemic stroke or the synthesis of new neuroprotective agents that take phytochemicals as leading compounds.
However, there is a need for more robust clinical trials focusing on executive function and other cognitive measures and incorporation of newer imaging modalities to provide additional evidence about the utility of these strategies in patients with VCI.
Farooq MU et al. · CNS drugs (2017)
The benefits of other drugs such as rivastigmine, memantine, nimodipine, and piracetam are not clear.
Some other supplements and herbal therapies, such as citicoline, actovegin, huperzine A, and vinpocetine, have also been studied in patients with VaD, but their beneficial effects are not well established.
Non-drug therapies and lifestyle modifications such as diet, exercise, and vascular risk factor control are important in the management of VCI and should not be ignored.
Since PDEs are broadly expressed in the brain, PDEIs are considered to modulate neurodegenerative conditions through regulating cAMP and cGMP in the brain.
Nabavi SM et al. · Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association (2019)
Since PDEs are broadly expressed in the brain, PDEIs are considered to modulate neurodegenerative conditions through regulating cAMP and cGMP in the brain.
In this review, PDE superfamily will be scrutinized from the view point of structural features, isoforms, functions and pharmacology particularly attributed to PDEs as target for AD therapy.
Due to its excellent safety profile, increasing efforts have been put into exploring the novel therapeutic effects and mechanism of actions of vinpocetine in various cell types and disease models.
Zhang YS et al. · European journal of pharmacology (2018)
Due to its excellent safety profile, increasing efforts have been put into exploring the novel therapeutic effects and mechanism of actions of vinpocetine in various cell types and disease models.
Recent studies have revealed a number of novel functions of vinpocetine, including anti-inflammation, antagonizing injury-induced vascular remodeling and high-fat-diet-induced atherosclerosis, as well as attenuating pathological cardiac remodeling.
These novel findings may facilitate the repositioning of vinpocetine for preventing or treating relevant disorders in humans.
Clinical studies and studies on biological models show that the main mechanisms of action of vinpocetine and 2-ethyl-6-methyl-3-hydroxypyridine-succinate, although have a similar focus, but implementing neuroprotective and nootropic effects via various links in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage.
Solovyeva EY et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova (2017)
Developing brain ischemia due to cerebral vascularization leads to disruption of brain metabolism.
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion leads to irreversible brain damage and plays an important role in the development of some types of dementia.
This review clarifies the anti-inflammatory role of vinpocetine in atherosclerosis and ischemic stroke.
Zhang L et al. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (2014)
The nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells κB (NF-κB) pathway plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and ischemic stroke.
Vinpocetine is believed to be a potent anti-inflammatory agent and has been used to treat cerebrovascular disorders.
Vinpocetine improves neuronal plasticity and reduces the release of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines from endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and microglia, by inhibiting the inhibitor of the NF-κB pathway.
The cited studies showed the potential multi-pharmacological effects of vinpocetine and its beneficial hemorheological potential.
Bagoly E et al. · Orvosi hetilap (2007)
There is no evidence that vinpocetine treatment is applicable in acute ischemic stroke, only few study with low patient number showed a slight but significant improvement in the patients conditions.
In chronic cerebrovascular patients after single dose and long-term vinpocetine therapy, PET, TCD, SPECT and NIRS examinations showed increasing perfusion and elevated glucose and O 2 consumption of the examined areas, furthermore significant improvement of the rheologic factors was detected.
A meta-analysis of international clinical studies showed a significant improvement in cognitive achievement in chronic stroke patients after oral therapy.
This systematic-review examined the effects of Vinpocetine.
Vas A et al. · Medicinal research reviews (2005)
Lately, positron emission tomography studies proved that vinpocetine has a rapid uptake in the primate and human brain with a heterogeneous distribution pattern (preference areas: thalamus, basal ganglia, and visual cortex) both after intravenous and oral administration.
Vinpocetine exerts beneficial effects in cerebral glucose metabolism and regional cerebral blood flow in chronic post-stroke patients.
14Cognitive impairment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with radiation injuryRCTCited 18×n=30 · small study2021
Administration of a combination of vinpocetine and dexamethasone may enhance the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects when compared to dexamethasone monotherapy, which leads to alleviated cognitive impairment in NPC patients with radiation injury.
Zhang P et al. · Pharmacology (2021)
Furthermore, combination therapy significantly increased the Mini Mental State Examination score, when compared to dexamethasone monotherapy.
Administration of a combination of vinpocetine and dexamethasone may enhance the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects when compared to dexamethasone monotherapy, which leads to alleviated cognitive impairment in NPC patients with radiation injury.
15Neurological deficit after ischemic strokeRCTCited 4×n=100 · medium study2017
More rapid and complete regression of neurological deficit, better recovery of self-care function, cognitive function and social activity, an increase in erythrocyte membrane elasticity were found in the main group compared to the control one.
Belova LA et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova (2017)
More rapid and complete regression of neurological deficit, better recovery of self-care function, cognitive function and social activity, an increase in erythrocyte membrane elasticity were found in the main group compared to the control one.
These results indicate the efficacy of cavinton R and cavinton R comforte in the regimen used in complex treatment in acute and early recovery periods after ischemic stroke.
From 6 to 12 months and from 0 to 12 months there were significant differences with a tendency towards improvement, indicating that the aforementioned deterioration not only stopped, but that with ...
Gutiérrez-Farfán I et al. · Journal of pharmacological sciences (2021)
From 6 to 12 months and from 0 to 12 months there were significant differences with a tendency towards improvement, indicating that the aforementioned deterioration not only stopped, but that with the use of vinpocetine, the hearing capacity improved.
It is concluded that Vinpocetine helps to stop hearing impairment and even improve hearing.
19Vascular cognitive disordersRCTCited 3×n=30 · small study2018
The obtained data can testify about the improvement of indicators of function of a small motility of brushes on the background of improvement of cognitive functions.
Shavlovskaya OA et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova (2018)
The obtained data can testify about the improvement of indicators of function of a small motility of brushes on the background of improvement of cognitive functions.
20Blood and plasma viscosity in cerebrovascular disordersRCTCited 16×n=30 · small study2014
Therefore, joint effects of vinpocetine and pyritinol improve blood and plasma viscosity in patients with cerebrovascular disorders.
Alkuraishy HM et al. · BioMed research international (2014)
Borderline
Thirty patients (twenty males + ten females) with age range 50-65 years, normotensive with history of cerebrovascular disorders, were selected according to the American Heart Stroke Association.
Blood viscosity and other rheological parameters were measured after two-day abstinence from any medications.
Dual effects of vinpocetine and pyritinol exhibit significant effects on all hemorheological parameters (P < 0.05), especially on low shear whole blood viscosity (P < 0.01), but they produced insignificant effects on total serum protein and high shear whole blood viscosity (P > 0.05).