Cyclandelate

Abstract

Cyclandelate is extracted from almond, which is a kind of nut from Xinjiang, China. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that almond can promote blood circulation to dispel blood stasis, lubricate bowels to relieve constipation, and relieve cough and asthma. The chemical structure and effect of cyclandelate are similar to papaverine. It can directly relax vascular smooth muscle and relieve the spasm of ileum and uterus smooth muscle induced by acetylcholine, histamine, and barium chloride in guinea pig. This effect is three to five times stronger than papaverine. It was reported that cyclandelate can promote the collateral circulation but has little effect on respiration, blood pressure, cardiac output, and myocardial oxygen consumption. It is safe for long-term administration. Cyclandelate can be used for clinical treatment of cerebral arteriosclerosis, cerebral vascular accident and its sequelae, post-traumatic brain syndrome, coronary arteriosclerosis, hypertensive heart disease, Raynaud’s disease, thromboangiitis obliterans, acrocyanosis, and Meniere’s disease. However, cyclandelate has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, Canada, and other countries because it easily causes white blood cell deficiency. It has been withdrawn from the market after drug approval in Japan, France, and other countries in the 1970s.