Clinical Appraisal of Vinpocetine for the Removal of Intractable Tumoral Calcinosis in Haemodialysis Patients with Renal Failure

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that vinpocetine [14-ethoxycarbonyl-(3α,16α-ethyl)-14,15-eburnamenine] scavenges minerals and/or metals in the soft tissues of rabbits with artificially induced arteriosclerosis. The present study was carried out to determine whether or not vinpocetine would bring about the removal of intractable tumoral calcinosis in haemodialysis patients with renal failure. After administration of 15 mg/day vinpocetine for 3–12 months in haemodialysis patients with X-ray evidence of tumoral calcinosis, calcinosis was completely eliminated in all eight cases. Serum alkaline phosphatase and bone osteocalcin concentrations tended to decrease after treatment with vinpocetine compared with before treatment. Vinpocetine thus appears to be an effective scavenger of tumoral calcinosis in haemodialysis patients with renal failure without any side-effects during treatment

Keywords

VINPOCETINE TUMORAL CALCINOSIS Haemodialysis Renal failure

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Yasui

Yano

Ota

Calcium, phosphorus and aluminium concerntrations in the central nervous system, liver and kidney of rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis: preventive effects of vinpocetine on the deposition of these elements. J Int Med Res 1990; 18: 142–152.

Yasui

Yano

Ota

Preventive effects of calcificiation: atherosclerosis in experimental rabbits. Acta Neurol Scand 1989; 79: 239–242.

Hagiwara

Hidaka

Effects of vinpocetine (TCOV-3B) on cyclic GMP metabolism [Japanese, English abstract]. Folia Pharmacol Japan 1982; 809: 317–323.

Tokiwa

Senoo

Narita

Apovincaminic acid (AVA) on the relaxation of rabbit basilar arteries. Clin Res (Tokyo) 1982; 16: 2172–2323.

Ritz

Drueke

Merke

Genesis of bone disease in uremia. In: Rone and Mineral Research, Vol. 5 ( Peck

ed). Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1987; pp 309–374.

Contiguglia

Alfrey

Miller

Nature of soft tissue calcification in uremia. Kidney Int 1973; 4: 229–235.

Alfrey

Solmons

Circillo

Extraosseous calcification: evidence for abnormal pyrophosphate metabolism in uremia. J Clin Invest 1976; 57: 692–699.

Parfitt

Soft-tissue calcification in uremia. Arch Intern Med 1969; 124: 544–556.

Betts

Blumanenthal

Posner

The atomic structure of intracellular amorphorus calcium phosphate deposits. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1975; 72: 2088–2090.

10.

Anghiri

Deermeitzel

Calcium – phosphate – phospholipid complexes in experimental tumors: their possible relationship with tumor calcification [German, English abstract]. Z

Krebsforsch 1973; 79: 148–156.

11.

Anderson

Matrix vesicle calcification: review and apatite. In: Bone Mineral Research, Vol. 3 ( Peck

ed). Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1985; pp 109–149.

12.

Ross

The pathogenesis of artherosclerosis: an update. N Engl J Med 1986; 314: 488–500.

13.

Lochr

Neyses

The cholesterol content of the human erthrocyte influences calcium influx through the channel. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1984; 124: 822–828.

14.

Anderson

Role of cyclic AMP and Ca⁺⁺ in mechanical and metabolic events in isometrically contracting vascular smooth muscle cells. Acta Physiol Scand 1973; 87: 84–95.

15.

Numano

Watanabe

Takano

Microassay of cyclic nucleotides in vessel wall. Exp Mol Pathol 1976; 25: 172–181.

16.

Hellman

Sehlin

Taljedal

Calcium and secretion: distinction between two pools of glucose-sensitive calcium in pancreatic islets. Science 1976; 194: 1421–1423.

17.

Blumenthal

The calcification of elastic fibers. I. Biochemical studies. J Gerontol 1863; 18: 119–126.

18.

Kramsch

Aspen

Apstein

Suppression of experimental atherosclerosis by the Ca⁺⁺ antagonist lanthanum. J Clin Invest 1980; 65: 967–981.

19.

Rosenblum

Flora

Eisenstein

The effect of disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1, 1-diphosphonate (EHDP) on a rabbit model of athero-arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis 1975; 22: 411–424.