The effects of vincamine on experimental cerebral infarction in Mongolian gerbils: a pilot study.

Unilateral ligation of the common carotid artery was performed in 134 gerbils. Study I was comprised of 60 controls and 60 animals receiving I.P. vincamine 1 mg/kg q4h. In a small second study 14 animals received vincamine I.P. 40 mg/kg q12h. In all groups ligation of the carotid artery was performed 6 days after starting dosing. The animals were observed for a further 6 days after carotid artery ligation. Whereas vincamine had no effect on the percent of animals in each group dying after carotid ligation, the extent of stroke lesion, measured histometrically, was significantly reduced (P less than 0.05) in the vincamine treated animals.