Role of vinpocetine in ischemic stroke and poststroke outcomes: A critical review

Abstract

Vinpocetine (VPN) is a synthetic ethyl-ester derivative of the alkaloid apovincamine from Vinca minor leaves. VPN is a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 1 (PDE1) that has potential neurological effects through inhibition of voltage-gated sodium channel and reduction of neuronal calcium influx. VPN has noteworthy antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects with inhibitory effect on glial and astrocyte cells during and following ischemic stroke (IS). VPN is effective as adjuvant therapy in the management of epilepsy; it reduces seizure frequency by 50% in a dose of 2 mg/kg/day. VPN improves psychomotor performances through modulation of brain monoamine pathway mainly on dopamine and serotonin, which play an integral role in attenuation of depressive symptoms. VPN recover cognitive functions and spatial memory through inhibition of hippocampal and cortical PDE1 with augmentation of cyclic adenosin monophosphate and cyclic guanosin monophosphate ratio, enhancement of cholinergic neurotransmission, and inhibition of neuronal inflammatory mediators. Therefore, VPN is an effective agent in the management of IS and plays an integral role in the prevention and attenuation of poststroke epilepsy, depression, and cognitive deficit through direct cAMP/cGMP-dependent pathway or indirectly through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Neurobehavioural Changes and not Structural Changes Occur in Rat Fed with Cassava Products (Fufu, Garri and Tapioca Diet)

“…They also observed that most ofthe movement components of the reach areabnormal and those compensatory body movements provided the rotator movements to assist pronation and supination. The finding that rat fed with cassava diets produced a motor impairment is consistent with findings in animal konzo model [1,2] and human konzo patients [27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Involvement of orexinergic system in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders: A scoping review

“…As well, patients with psychiatric disorders such as panic disorder are associated with significant reduction of hypothalamic orexin activations. [ 9 ]…”

The unsolved mystery of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide: A potent cholinergic regulator

“…As another potential, incomplete suppression of glutamatergic activity in the hippocampus may be necessary to investigate HCNP or HCNP-pp on hippocampal cognitive behavior. [ 4 ] Because other hippocampal molecules, such as vinpocetine, recover behavioral and memory outcomes through enhanced cholinergic neurotransmission, HCNP may also improve cognitive functions by targeting cholinergic activity,[ 35 ] which are also exhibited by stem cell administrations. [ 36 ] Further investigations are necessary to examine the functions of HCNP due to acetylcholine releases.…”