Tolerance to ethanol and cross-tolerance to pentobarbital and barbital.
A chronic regimen of ethanol by intubation, which produced clear tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia, ataxia and narcosis, produced only a marginal degree of cross-tolerance to these effects of pentobarbital. The lack of appreciable cross-tolerance to pentobarbital-induced hypothermia and ataxia was also observed over a wide range of test doses. However, cross-tolerance to barbital was observed after chronic treatment with ethanol. Increased rate of drug biotransformation did not contribute significantly to the observed tolerance and cross-tolerance. The difference in the extent of cross-tolerance between ethanol and the two barbiturates is consistent with the hypothesis that there is a degree of specificity in the sites of action of ethanol and other sedative-hypnotic drugs.
D000818:Animals; D001462:Barbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001463:Barbiturates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects
D001463:Barbiturates; D000431:Ethanol; D001462:Barbital; D010424:Pentobarbital