Effect of vinpocetine on oxygen release of hemoglobin and erythrocyte organic polyphosphate concentrations in patients with vascular dementia of the Binswanger type.

Oxygen affinity of hemoglobin, erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations were compared before and after oral administration of vinpocetine (TCV-3B) (15 mg/d), a primarily vasodilating agent, for three weeks in eight patients with vascular dementia of the Biswanger type which is characterized by diffuse myelin pallor and multiple lacunes in the cerebral white matter. After vinpocetine administration, oxygen affinity of hemoglobin (P50) was significantly increased (26.5 +/- 0.55 to 27.6 +/- 0.62 mmHg; mean and standard deviation, p less than 0.05), red blood cell (RBC) ATP concentrations were significantly increased (846 +/- 168 to 1,158 +/- 130 mumol/l RBC, p less than 0.05), while DPG concentrations were unaltered (4.46 +/- 0.48 to 4.59 +/- 0.57 mmol/l RBC). There was a significant positive correlation between the increase of P50 and the increase of erythrocyte ATP concentrations (r = 0.67, p less than 0.05). The effect of vinpocetine of enhancing oxygen release of hemoglobin may offer an additional benefit to its primary vasodilating action in the treatment of vascular dementia of the Binswanger type due to chronic ischemia.