INIMEC - CONICET   05467
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MEDICA MERCEDES Y MARTIN FERREYRA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
An acetaldehyde-sequestering agent inhibits appetitive reinforcement and behavioral stimulation induced by ethanol in preweanling rats
Autor/es:
PAUTASSI, RICARDO MARCOS; NIZHNIKOV, MICHAEL E. ; FABIO, MARIA CAROLINA; SPEAR, NORMAN
Revista:
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
Editorial:
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Referencias:
Año: 2011 p. 462 - 469
ISSN:
0091-3057
Resumen:
Ethanol's motivational consequences have been related to the actions of acetaldehyde, a metabolic product of
ethanol oxidation. The present study assessed the role of acetaldehyde in the motivational effects of ethanol on
preweanling rats. In Experiment 1 pups (postnatal days 1314, PD 1314) were given systemic administration of
D-penicillamine (DP, a drug that sequesters acetaldehyde: 0, 25, 50 or 75 mg/kg) before pairings of 1.0 g/kg
ethanol and a rough surface (sandpaper, conditioned stimulus, CS). At test, pups given sandpaperethanol
pairings exhibited greater preference for the CS than unpaired controls, but this preference was not expressed by
pups given DP. Pre-training administration of 25 or 50 mg/kg DP completely blocked the expression of ethanolmediated appetitive conditioning. D-penicillamine did not alter blood ethanol levels. Subsequent experiments
revealed that ethanol-induced activation was blocked by central (intra-cisterna magna injections, volume: 1 μl,
dose: 0 or 75 μg) but not systemic treatment with DP (0, 25, 50 or 75 mg/kg; ip). These results indicate that:
(a) preweanling rats are sensitive to the reinforcing effect of ethanol, and (b) that this effect is associated with the
motor activating effect of the drug. These effects seem to be mediated by the first metabolite of ethanol,
acetaldehyde.