. ?Catalase activation increse voluntary etanol intake in control and developmentally low-level exposed rats?.

 MATTALLONI M.S, LILIANA CANCELA Y MIRIAM VIRGOLINI.

Uspallata. Mendoza

Congreso; V Neurotoxicity Society Meeting.; 2011

Neurotoxicity Society

We have demonstrated that low-level Pb-exposure increases ethanol (ET) intake in a two-bottle free-choice paradigm, an effect that we postulate, may be mediated in part by catalase (CAT), the enzyme responsible for brain ethanol oxidation. In the present study, we sought to investigate the effects of CAT activation on voluntary ET consumption. Thirty-five day-old animals exposed to 220 ppm Pb during gestation and lactation were presented with increasing ET solutions (2-10%) and water, 2 h/day for 28 days. After stable 10% ET intake was achieved, the animals were injected with vehicle or a CAT activator: 3-nitropropionic acid, 3-NPA (10, 20, or 30 mg/kg s.c.) 90 min before the corresponding ET free-choice session (days 25-28). Immediately after the last session, all rats were sacrificed and brain regions harvested to measure brain CAT activity. Blood was also collected to determine CAT activity, Pb, and ET levels. A 35-day-old and a 70-day-old group that did not consume ethanol were included. We demonstrated that the pretreatment with 3NPA (20 mg/kg) comparably increased ET intake in both groups, with Pb-exposed animals still showing higher intake than controls. No changes in ET consumption were observed in response to 10 mg/kg 3NPA, while the 30 mg/kg dose was able to increase intake selectively in control animals. However, these effects were not accompanied by similar increases in blood or brain CAT activity. These results point out the potential critical role of this enzyme in the behavioral properties of ET, an effect that was not correlated with CAT activity.