Vinpocetine and picamilon are drugs prescribed in many countries to treat a variety of cerebrovascular disorders. In the United States, vinpocetine and picamilon have never been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, but they are both available for sale directly to consumers as dietary supplements. This study was designed to determine the accuracy of supplement labels with regard to the presence and quantity of vinpocetine and picamilon. A validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode-array method was developed for the quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon. The separation was achieved using a reversed phase (C-18) column, photodiode array detection, and a gradient of water/acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Vinpocetine and picamilon were detected at concentrations as low as 10 and 50 ng/mL, respectively. The presence of vinpocetine and picamilon were confirmed using standard compounds. Based on current study, 23 supplements labeled as containing vinpocetine and 17 contained vinpocetine with quantities ranging from 0.3 to 32 mg per recommended daily serving was observed. No vinpocetine was detected in six of the sampled supplements. The supplement label implied that vinpocetine was an extract of lesser periwinkle in four of the supplement brands. Of the 31 brands of picamilon supplements available for sale from a variety of retailers: 30 contained picamilon in quantities ranging from 2.7 to 721.5 mg per recommended daily serving.
Acknowledgements: This research is supported in part by the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58 – 6408 – 1-603 – 07.
