title: Pharmacokinetics of vinpocetine and its metabolite, apovincaminic acid, in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid after intravenous infusion.
abstract: The pharmacokinetics of vinpocetine (ethyl apovincaminate, Cavinton) and its metabolite, apovincaminic acid, was studied in patients with cerebrovascular disorders. Vinpocetine (1 mg/kg) was infused intravenously over 25 min. The elimination half-life of the parent drug in plasma was 4.7+/-2.13 h. Total clearance of vinpocetine was 0.79+/-0.1 1 h(-1) kg(-1). The presence of vinpocetine in cerebrospinal fluid shows that the drug is able to pass through the blood-brain barrier and reach the central nervous system which is a possible site of action. The maximum increase of cerebral blood flow (25%) was measured at 32 min after the start of the infusion.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter Ltd, 1475 Budapest, POB 27, Hungary.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polgár
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vereczkey
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nyáry