Cerebral metabolic, hemodynamic and antihypoxic properties of l-eburnamonine.

l-Eburnamonine--16-oxoeburnane--assumes experimental cerebral 'oxygenator' and antihypoxic properties which appear more pronounced than those of vincamine. In anesthetized dogs, l-eburnamonine increases the cerebral oxygen supply and the cerebral oxygen consumption, without cerebral vasodilation; l-eburnamonine improves the cerebral capillary circulation, as observed on the rheoencephalogram. l-Eburnamonine inhibits the effects of hypobaric hypoxia in mice (increase of survival time) and in rats (inhibition of amnesic effects of hypoxia). l-Eburnamonine decreases the electroencephalographic consequences of the acute and iterative asphyxic anoxia in curarized rats and, by means of the protection of the cerebral cortex, inhibits the postischemic increase of thalamic somesthetic evoked potentials in curarized cats. Further studies are necessary to precise the mechanisms involved in these 'cerebral protective' properties of l-eburnamonine.