title: Volitional ethanol consumption affects overall serotonin metabolism in Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).
abstract: Methods were established for the determination of serotonin (5-HT)(1) metabolites 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) and 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) in the urine of Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and used to study the effect of volitional ethanol consumption on overall 5-HT metabolism in this ethanol-preferring rodent. The basal levels of 5-HIAA and 5-HTOL in 24-h urine of ethanol-naive hamsters were 300 +/- 101 and 4.96 +/- 1. 06 nmol (n = 8), respectively. Given free choice between water and a 15% ethanol solution, these hamsters chose to consume increasing amounts of ethanol. The increase was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in urine 5-HIAA and increase in urine 5-HTOL, indicating that volitional ethanol intake diverted part of the 5-HT metabolic flux from an oxidative into a reductive pathway. In a separate experiment, the amounts of ethanol consumed by and blood ethanol concentrations attained in ethanol-drinking golden hamsters were determined at 5 different time intervals between 6 PM and 7 AM when most feeding activities occurred. Except in the first hour after lights were turned off, ethanol was consumed at a relatively even pace throughout the night (2-3 g/kg/3 h) and blood ethanol levels were maintained at the low mM range which rarely exceeded 2 mM. These results suggest that the biochemical pathway that catalyzes 5-HT metabolism is extremely sensitive to ethanol and can play an important role in mediating the reported clinically beneficial action of a low concentration of ethanol during alcohol detoxification.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 250 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. wingming_keung@hms.harvard.edu
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Keung
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lazo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006224:Cricetinae; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000652:urine; D006917:Hydroxytryptophol / Q000652:urine; D008027:Light; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D006917:Hydroxytryptophol; D012701:Serotonin; D000431:Ethanol; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid