title: Assessment of the Effects of 6 Standard Rodent Diets on Binge-Like and Voluntary Ethanol Consumption in Male C57BL/6J Mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, much attention has been given to the lack of reproducibility in biomedical research, particularly in preclinical animal studies. This is a problem that also plagues the alcohol research field, particularly in consistent consumption in animal models of alcohol use disorders. One often overlooked factor that could affect reproducibility is the maintenance diet used in preclinical studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Herein, 2 well-established models of alcohol consumption, the "drinking in the dark" (DID) procedure and the continuous 2-bottle choice (C2BC) paradigm, were employed to determine the effects of diet on ethanol (EtOH) consumption. Male C57BL/6J mice were given 1 of 6 standard rodent chow diets obtained from Purina LabDiet(®) , Inc. (Prolab(®) RMH 3000) or Harlan(®) Laboratories, Inc. (Teklad Diets T.2916, T.2918, T.2920X, T.7912, or T.8940). A separate group of animals were used to test dietary effects on EtOH pharmacokinetics and behavioral measures following intraperitoneal (IP) injections of various doses of EtOH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mice eating Harlan diets T.2916 (H2916) and T.2920X (H2920) consumed significantly less EtOH and exhibited lower blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) during DID; however, during C2BC, animals maintained on Harlan T.7912 (H7912) consumed more EtOH and had a higher EtOH preference than the other diet groups. EtOH consumption levels did not stem from changes in alcohol pharmacokinetics, as a separate group of animals administered EtOH IP showed no difference in BECs. However, animals on Harlan diet T.2920X (H2920) were more sensitive to alcohol-induced locomotor activity in an open-field task. No diet-dependent differences were seen in alcohol-induced sedation as measured with loss of righting reflex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although these data do not identify a specific mechanism, together, they clearly show that the maintenance diet impacts EtOH consumption. It is incumbent upon the research community to consider the importance of describing nutritional information in methods, which may help decrease interlaboratory reproducibility issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.|Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Simon Alex
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.|Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rinker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Langston K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.affiliation: Teklad Diets Technical Services, Harlan Laboratories, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Tina M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Herfel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.|Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Todd E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Thiele
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000592:standards; D000818:Animals; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol Abuse; Continuous 2-Bottle Choice; Drinking in the Dark; Scientific Reproducibility; Standard Rodent Diet