Enhancement of osmotic- and hypovolemic-induced drinking by chlordiazepoxide in rats is blocked by naltrexone.
Recent reports indicate that benzodiazepine-induced hyperphagia can be antagonised by naloxone, an opiate antagonist. Benzodiazepines are also known to facilitate water ingestion in water-deprived rats, and the present study showed that in addition, benzodiazepine treatment can enhance drinking which is elicited by an osmotic thirst stimulus (2 M hypertonic saline) or by a hypovolemic thirst stimulus (20% polyethylene glycol). In both cases, low dose levels of naltrexone (also an opiate antagonist) dose-dependently suppressed the facilitation of thirst-aroused drinking by chlordiazepoxide. Taken with recent biochemical data these behavioral results indicate that the enhancement of ingestive responses by benzodiazepines may depend upon a naloxone-reversible release of endogenous opioid peptides.
D000818:Animals; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009115:Muridae; D009270:Naloxone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000187:drug effects*
D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D009270:Naloxone; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D009271:Naltrexone; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide