Pregnenolone and pregnenolone sulfate, alone and with ethanol, in mice on the plus-maze.
The neurosteroids pregnenolone and pregnenolone sulfate were tested for anxiogenic/anxiolytic effects in mice on the elevated plus-maze. Pregnenolone in a dose of 0.01 micrograms/kg increased motor activity and caused an anxiogenic response, i.e., a decreased number of entries onto the open arms of the plus-maze. Pregnenolone sulfate had no effect on motor activity in the doses tested but showed a biphasic response on the plus-maze: at 10.0 and 1.0 micrograms/kg pregnenolone sulfate caused an anxiogenic response but at 0.1 microgram/kg it produced an anxiolytic response. When administered with 1.5 g/kg ethanol, neither neurosteroid altered the depression in motor activity caused by ethanol. However, all doses of pregnenolone tested blocked the anxiolytic effect of ethanol on the plus-maze while one dose of pregnenolone sulfate, 1.0 microgram/kg, attenuated the response to ethanol. These results support the suggestion that these neurosteroids could play a role in the initial response to stress and indicate that further work needs to be done to determine the mechanism for the interaction with ethanol.
Department of Psychiatry, Olive View/UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, CA 91342.
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Melchior
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Ritzmann
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011284:Pregnenolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013431:Sulfates / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
D013431:Sulfates; D000431:Ethanol; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D011284:Pregnenolone