Vinpocetine is a synthetic ethyl ester of apovincamine derived from an alkaloid in the common periwinkle plant ⁽¹⁷⁾. In vitro, antioxidant and hydroxyl radical scavenging properties have been observed ^(18) (13). Vinpocetine inhibits PDE1 activity and improves cerebral blood flow by elevating cGMP and cAMP, increasing mitochondrial function, and improving glucose and oxygen utilization by the brain. Vinpocetine helps improve spatial memory in rats by preventing neuronal damage and favorably modulating cholinergic function ⁽¹⁸⁾. Antiepileptic effects were attributed to suppression of abnormal neuronal excitability via sodium channel regulation and dopamine release in striatal nerve endings ^{(5) (6) (7)}. Vinpocetine antagonizes platelet-derived growth factor-induced extracellular matrix synthesis, suppresses intracellular ROS production, and inhibits extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation and vascular smooth muscle cell growth ⁽⁴⁾. Antiatherogenic effects occur through inhibition of monocyte adhesion, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses mediated by protein kinase B/nuclear factor kappa B-dependent pathways ⁽³⁾. Vinpocetine also demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting TNF-α-induced NF-κB activities ⁽¹⁹⁾ as well as Akt and STAT3 activation ⁽¹⁵⁾. In a murine model of otitis media, vinpocetine suppressed S. pneumoniae-induced mucus production through mucin MUC5AC inhibition ⁽²⁷⁾.

In vitro and in vivo studies indicate vinpocetine antitumor activity against human breast cancer cells occurs through G0/G1-phase cell cycle arrest and mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis ⁽¹⁵⁾. Vinpocetine may also increase the effects of radiation by increasing tumor oxygenation ⁽¹⁶⁾.

In humans, administration of vinpocetine to chronic stroke patients increased glucose uptake and release in unaffected areas of the brain ⁽¹²⁾. In a study of adjuvant vinpocetine, nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients had lower levels of serum inflammatory cytokines compared to those who received dexamethasone monotherapy ⁽³⁴⁾.