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Vn5.5
Vinpocetine Research
Too few graded studies
49 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Too few graded studies
Vinpocetine doesn't have enough studies with structured effect-size data yet to pool a verdict. Browse the studies below for individual findings.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1980–2026 with a typical study size of 30 participants.
Based on 49 studies · 4 meta-analyses · 22 RCTs · 45,097 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
1helped· 48 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Cognitive functionBlood-flow effect is a mechanism. Cochrane found no reliable memory benefit in dementia · 2-4 weeks
5Cognitive function (Syndrom-Kurz-Test), vinpocetineSystematic ReviewCited 5×2023
In plain English: 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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An umbrella review of 37 systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering 13 herbal medicines for dementia or cognitive function. 65% of the reviews were rated critically low quality on AMSTAR2.
Only 3 herbs were supported by suggestive evidence, and the others by weak evidence.
For vinpocetine, the suggestive evidence was a lower (better) Syndrom-Kurz-Test cognitive score (WMD: -0.94, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.38).
6Neuroprotective effects in ischemic strokeReviewCited 98×2021
In plain English: 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)
A review of preclinical research from the past 10 years on 148 phytochemicals in experimental ischemic stroke, covering their neuroprotective mechanisms.
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.
The potential it describes rests on animal and cell research. The review reports no new human outcome data.
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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.
In plain English: 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)
A review of vinpocetine and 2-ethyl-6-methyl-3-hydroxypyridine-succinate as antioxidants in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.
The authors describe early use of these two drugs as a way to correct cerebral metabolism, citing increases in cerebral blood flow and neuroprotective effects.
In plain English: Vinpocetine exerts beneficial effects in cerebral glucose metabolism and regional cerebral blood flow in chronic post-stroke patients.
Vas A et al. · Medicinal research reviews (2005)
A review of eburnamine-vincamine alkaloids with effects on the brain, of which vinpocetine is described as the most eminent.
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.