Body temperature influences ethanol and ethanol/pentobarbital lethality in mice.
The effect of body temperature on ethanol (ETOH) or ethanol plus pentobarbital (ETOH/PB) lethality was investigated in C57BL/6J mice. Decreasing ambient temperatures from 35-20 degrees C, decreased rectal temperatures from 38-20 degrees C and increased 8-hour survival from 0-93% for ETOH-treated and from 0-100% for ETOH/PB-treated mice. ETOH and ETOH/PB animals with no hypothermia (body temperatures = 38 degrees C) had the highest lethality. Those with body temperatures between 30-32 degrees C had the highest 24-hour survival. These results suggest that controlled hypothermia may be useful in reducing lethality from ethanol or ethanol/combination overdoses.
Finn
D A
DA
Alcohol and Brain Research Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.
Syapin
P J
PJ
Bejanian
M
M
Jones
B L
BL
Alkana
R L
RL
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000633:toxicity*
D000431:Ethanol; D010424:Pentobarbital