title: Blockade of the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists.
abstract: The ability of selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonists to block the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol was investigated in pigeons trained with food reinforcement to discriminate ethanol (1.5 g/kg; IG) from water. The 5-HT3 receptor antagonists that are substituted tropines, ICS 205-930 (0.1-0.56 mg/kg) and MDL 72222 (3.0-17.0 mg/kg), blocked ethanol-appropriate responding, in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that some of the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol are mediated via the 5-HT3 receptor. The blockade the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol occurred in the presence of approximately 25-40 mM blood ethanol levels. Furthermore, the ethanol dose-effect function was shifted to the right by increasing doses of MDL 72222, suggesting a surmountable antagonism of the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol. However, the benzamide zacopride (0.56-1.7 mg/kg), which is also a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, did not block the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol. In addition, the dopaminergic antagonist haloperidol and the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin also failed to block the ethanol discrimination. The results suggest that 5-HT3 mediated neurotransmission is an important component of ethanol's discriminative stimulus effects, but that the structural characteristics of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonists influence their ability to block this action of ethanol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Unit for Special Projects, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD 20852.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001549:Benzamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D010856:Columbidae; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D007650:Ketanserin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D014326:Tropanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077526:Tropisetron
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D007211:Indoles; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D014326:Tropanes; D000431:Ethanol; D000077526:Tropisetron; D007650:Ketanserin; C055971:zacopride; D006220:Haloperidol; C042253:bemesetron