title: Naloxone, but not Tyr-MIF-1, reduces volitional ethanol drinking in rats: correlation with degree of spontaneous preference.
abstract: The possible relationship between the actions of ethanol and opiates led us to examine the effect of opiate antagonists on ethanol intake in rats with a free choice of water. Naloxone (NAL) significantly reduced intake of ethanol. This effect was much greater in "high-preferring" (ethanol/total fluid intake greater than 60%) than in "low-preferring" (ethanol/total fluid intake less than 30%) rats. Furthermore, a correlation was found between the degree of spontaneous preference (ethanol/total fluid intake ratio) and the reduction of ethanol drinking by NAL. Sensitivity to NAL increased with increased preference for ethanol. Neither Tyr-MIF-1 (Tyr-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2) nor MIF-1 (Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2) caused a significant modification of ethanol intake. This study shows that NAL can reduce volitional ethanol intake in rats and provides further evidence that Tyr-MIF-1 does not always act like NAL.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, New Orleans, LA 70146.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulvirenti
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kastin
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009075:MSH Release-Inhibiting Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D009270:Naloxone; D000431:Ethanol; C036930:tyrosyl-prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide; D009075:MSH Release-Inhibiting Hormone