title: The effect of alcohol on testosterone concentrations in alcohol-preferring and non-preferring rat lines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have reported associations between human alcohol drinking and testosterone levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we investigated serum testosterone concentrations without and under the influence of alcohol in alcohol-preferring (AA) and nonpreferring (ANA) rat lines. Animals were tested in both mornings and afternoons and the alcohol doses were 0.75 and 1.50 g/kg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher basal serum testosterone levels were detected in the AA rats compared with the ANA rats in both mornings (152%, p = 0.028) and afternoons (75%, p = 0.035). The high alcohol dose decreased the testosterone concentrations of both the AA and the ANA rats (p = 0.001-0.01). The low dose, however, decreased testosterone concentrations only in the ANA line (line difference in the morning: p = 0.027; in the afternoon p = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results support previous indications of a positive association between testosterone and alcohol drinking. Furthermore, the present results, together with earlier reports on the AA and ANA rats, introduce the possibility of a connection between this association and the hypothalamic opiate system, which is also involved in the feedback regulation of testosterone synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Susanna J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Apter
authors.forename: C J Peter
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D013739:Testosterone