title: Effects of ethanol and tertiary butanol on blood glucose levels and body temperature of rats.
abstract: The mechanisms of ethanol's hyperglycemic and hypothermic effects were investigated by comparing the effects of ethanol with those of tertiary butanol. Tertiary butanol is an intoxicant like ethanol, but unlike ethanol it is only minimally metabolized. Consequently, tertiary butanol does not produce appreciable amounts of active metabolites or energy. Tertiary butanol exerts its neural effects primarily by directly altering the physico-chemical properties of nerve cell membranes. It was found that ethanol and tertiary butanol produce hyperglycemic and hypothermic effects whose magnitude and time course are nearly identical. These data suggest that the hyperglycemic and hypothermic effects of ethanol represent a primary physico-chemical effect on nerve cell membranes and are not secondary to its energy content or metabolites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, N.S.W. Australia.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Atrens
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van der Reest
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Balleine
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Siviy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects*; D000440:Butanols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000440:Butanols; D000431:Ethanol; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol