title: Body temperature and ethanol pharmacokinetics in temperature-challenged mice.
abstract: The relationships between ambient temperature, body temperature, ethanol pharmacokinetics and behavioral sensitivity to ethanol were examined in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with 3.6 or 2.0 g/kg ethanol. Exposure to increasing ambient temperatures of 4-34 degrees C immediately after ethanol injection resulted in a significant increase in body temperature, ethanol elimination rate and brain:blood ethanol concentration ratios in 3.6 g/kg ethanol-injected mice, but not in mice injected with 2.0 g/kg ethanol. As the mean body temperature increased from 26.0 to 38.2 degrees C in the 3.6 g/kg mice, there was a 50% increase in ethanol elimination rate. Delayed (30 min) exposure to increasing ambient temperatures following injection of 3.6 g/kg ethanol resulted in a significant increase in ethanol elimination rate, a marked increase in the duration of loss of righting reflex and a decrease in ethanol concentration at the regain of righting reflex. The results indicate that temperature-induced changes in the absorption, distribution and elimination of ethanol do not appear to mediate the effects of temperature on behavioral sensitivity to ethanol in C57 mice.
authors.affiliation: Alcohol and Brain Research Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bejanian
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Syapin
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Alkana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001831:Body Temperature; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol