Sodium appetite elicited by furosemide: effects of differential dietary maintenance

An open-source platform for head-fixed operant and consummatory behavior

Head-fixed behavioral experiments in rodents permit unparalleled experimental control, precise measurement of behavior, and concurrent modulation and measurement of neural activity. Here, we present OHRBETS (Open-Source Head-fixed Rodent Behavioral Experimental Training System; pronounced 'Orbitz'), a low-cost, open-source platform of hardware and software to flexibly pursue the neural basis of a variety of motivated behaviors. Head-fixed mice tested with OHRBETS displayed operant conditioning for caloric reward that replicates core behavioral phenotypes observed during freely moving conditions. OHRBETS also permits optogenetic intracranial self-stimulation under positive or negative operant conditioning procedures and real-time place preference behavior, like that observed in freely moving assays. In a multi-spout brief-access consumption task, mice displayed licking as a function of concentration of sucrose, quinine, and sodium chloride, with licking modulated by homeostatic or circadian influences. Finally, to highlight the functionality of OHRBETS, we measured mesolimbic dopamine signals during the multi-spout brief-access task that display strong correlations with relative solution value and magnitude of consumption. All designs, programs, and instructions are provided freely online. This customizable platform enables replicable operant and consummatory behaviors and can be incorporated with methods to perturb and record neural dynamics in vivo.

A gut-brain axis mediates sodium appetite via gastrointestinal peptide regulation on a medulla-hypothalamic circuit

Salt homeostasis is orchestrated by both neural circuits and peripheral endocrine factors. The colon is one of the primary sites for electrolyte absorption, while its potential role in modulating sodium intake remains unclear. Here, we revealed that a gastrointestinal hormone, secretin, is released from colon endocrine cells under body sodium deficiency and is indispensable for inducing salt appetite. As the neural substrate, circulating secretin activates specific receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tracts, which further activates the downstream paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, resulting in enhanced sodium intake. These results demonstrated a previously unrecognized gut-brain pathway for the timely regulation of sodium homeostasis.

Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Sodium Appetite

The objectives of this paper are to first present physiological and ecological aspects of the unique motivational state of sodium appetite, then to focus on systemic physiology and brain mechanisms. I describe how laboratory protocols have been developed to allow the study of sodium appetite under controlled conditions, and focus on two such conditions specifically. The first of these is the presentation a sodium-deficient diet (SDD) for at least one week, and the second is accelerated sodium loss using SDD for 1-2 days coupled with the diuretic furosemide. The modality of consumption is also considered, ranging from a free intake of high concentration of sodium solution, to sodium-rich food or gels, and to operant protocols. I describe the pivotal role of angiotensin and aldosterone in these appetites and discuss whether the intakes or appetite are matched to the physiological need state. Several brain systems have been identified, most recently and microscopically using molecular biological methods. These include clusters in both the hindbrain and the forebrain. Satiation of sodium appetite is often studied using concentrated sodium solutions, but these can be consumed in apparent excess, and I suggest that future studies of satiation might emulate natural conditions in which excess consumption does not occur, using either SDD only as a stimulus, offering a sodium-rich food for the assessment of appetite, or a simple operant task.

An Open-Source Platform for Head-Fixed Operant and Consummatory Behavior

Head-fixed behavioral experiments in rodents permit unparalleled experimental control, precise measurement of behavior, and concurrent modulation and measurement of neural activity. Here we present OHRBETS (Open-Source Head-fixed Rodent Behavioral Experimental Training System; pronounced 'Orbitz'), a low-cost, open-source ecosystem of hardware and software to flexibly pursue the neural basis of a variety of motivated behaviors. Head-fixed mice tested with OHRBETS displayed operant conditioning for caloric reward that replicates core behavioral phenotypes observed during freely moving conditions. OHRBETS also permits for optogenetic intracranial self-stimulation under positive or negative operant conditioning procedures and real-time place preference behavior, like that observed in freely moving assays. In a multi-spout brief-access consumption task, mice displayed licking as a function of concentration of sucrose, quinine, and sodium chloride, with licking modulated by homeostatic or circadian influences. Finally, to highlight the functionality of OHRBETS, we measured mesolimbic dopamine signals during the multi-spout brief-access task that display strong correlations with relative solution value and magnitude of consumption. All designs, programs, and instructions are provided freely online. This customizable ecosystem enables replicable operant and consummatory behaviors and can be incorporated with methods to perturb and record neural dynamics in vivo .

Impact Statement

A customizable open-source hardware and software ecosystem for conducting diverse head-fixed behavioral experiments in mice.

Participation of the angiotensinergic and vasopressinergic mechanisms in the maintenance of cardiorespiratory parameters in sodium depleted rats

Changes in blood volume can be caused by different conditions, such as vomiting, diarrhea, alteration of sodium intake, trauma, or the use of diuretics, which can lead to severe health deterioration. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of physiological parameters and the hydroelectrolytic balance of the human body during hypovolemia, can help with preventing and handling these high-risk situations. Hence, this study investigated cardiorespiratory [mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), pulmonary ventilation (VE)] and blood parameters, of sodium depleted rats with furosemide and the roles of the central and peripheral renin-angiotensin and the peripheral vasopressinergic systems in controlling blood pressure in these animals. Different groups under the same conditions received subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of furosemide (diuretic/saliuretic) or vehicle, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) or intravenous (i.v.) injections of losartan [angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptor antagonist] or saline, and i.v. injections of Manning compound (AVPX, vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist). Sodium depletion increased the VE (708 ± 71, vs. normovolemic: 478 ± 40 mL/min/kg body wt) and did not modify baseline mean arterial pressure (104 ± 4, vs. normovolemic: 105 ± 4 mmHg) and heart rate (334 ± 20, vs. normovolemic: 379 ± 13 bpm). The i.v. losartan (10 mg/kg of body wt) treatment significantly reduced MAP in all groups and elevated HR, with a greater impact in sodium depleted rats before repletion. On the other hand, the i.c.v. losartan (3.3 μg/kg of body wt) and i.v. AVPX (10 μg/kg of body wt) treatments did not alter the MAP and HR in control, sodium depleted, and sodium repleted rats. These results indicate that sodium depletion affects cardiorespiratory control increasing baseline ventilation and peripheral angiotensinergic mechanisms are relevant for maintaining cardiovascular parameters in sodium depleted rats. Besides, this study suggests vasopressin V1 receptors do not participate in the maintenance of MAP and HR in sodium depleted animals with furosemide.

Protocol for sodium depletion and measurement of sodium appetite in mice

Sodium appetite is a state that motivates animals to consume normally unappetizing concentrations of sodium. Here we describe a protocol to induce sodium appetite in mice by furosemide-induced diuresis and measure sodium intake using volumetric drinking tubes. This protocol induces sodium appetite rapidly and can be used to assess the effect of various treatments on sodium appetite. This protocol does not require electronic equipment and can be implemented easily.

For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Park et al. (2020).

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Protocol describes easy and affordable approaches to study sodium appetite in mice

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Sodium appetite is induced by sodium-losing diuretics and sodium-deficient diet

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Sodium appetite is assessed by two-bottle assay using volumetric drinking tubes

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Protocol can be used to assess effects of various treatments on sodium appetite

Signal Transduction of Mineralocorticoid and Angiotensin II Receptors in the Central Control of Sodium Appetite: A Narrative Review

Sodium appetite is an innate behavior occurring in response to sodium depletion that induces homeostatic responses such as the secretion of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone from the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex and the stimulation of the peptide hormone angiotensin II (ANG II). The synergistic action of these hormones signals to the brain the sodium appetite that represents the increased palatability for salt intake. This narrative review summarizes the main data dealing with the role of mineralocorticoid and ANG II receptors in the central control of sodium appetite. Appropriate keywords and MeSH terms were identified and searched in PubMed. References to original articles and reviews were examined, selected, and discussed. Several brain areas control sodium appetite, including the nucleus of the solitary tract, which contains aldosterone-sensitive HSD2 neurons, and the organum vasculosum lamina terminalis (OVLT) that contains ANG II-sensitive neurons. Furthermore, sodium appetite is under the control of signaling proteins such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and inositol 1,4,5-thriphosphate (IP3). ANG II stimulates salt intake via MAPK, while combined ANG II and aldosterone action induce sodium intake via the IP3 signaling pathway. Finally, aldosterone and ANG II stimulate OVLT neurons and suppress oxytocin secretion inhibiting the neuronal activity of the paraventricular nucleus, thus disinhibiting the OVLT activity to aldosterone and ANG II stimulation.

The biopsychology of salt hunger and sodium deficiency

Sodium is a necessary dietary macromineral that tended to be sparsely distributed in mankind's environment in the past. Evolutionary selection pressure shaped physiological mechanisms including hormonal systems and neural circuits that serve to promote sodium ingestion. Sodium deficiency triggers the activation of these hormonal systems and neural circuits to engage motivational processes that elicit a craving for salty substances and a state of reward when salty foods are consumed. Sodium deficiency also appears to be associated with aversive psychological states including anhedonia, impaired cognition, and fatigue. Under certain circumstances the psychological processes that promote salt intake can become powerful enough to cause "salt gluttony," or salt intake far in excess of physiological need. The present review discusses three aspects of the biopsychology of salt hunger and sodium deficiency: (1) the psychological processes that promote salt intake during sodium deficiency, (2) the effects of sodium deficiency on mood and cognition, and (3) the sensitization of sodium appetite as a possible cause of salt gluttony.

Parabrachial lesions in rats disrupt sodium appetite induced by furosemide but not by calcium deprivation

An appetite for CaCl2 and NaCl occurs in young rats after they are fed a diet lacking Ca or Na, respectively. Bilateral lesions of the parabrachial nuclei (PBN) disrupt normal taste aversion learning and essentially eliminate the expression of sodium appetite. Here we tested whether similar lesions of the PBN would disrupt the calcium-deprivation-induced appetite for CaCl2 or NaCl. Controls and rats with PBN lesions failed to exhibit a calcium-deprivation-induced appetite for CaCl2. Nevertheless, both groups did exhibit a significant calcium-deprivation-induced appetite for 0.5M NaCl. Thus, while damage to the second central gustatory relay in the PBN disrupts the appetite for 0.5M NaCl induced by furosemide, deoxycorticosterone acetate, and polyethylene glycol, the sodium appetite induced by dietary CaCl2 depletion remains intact.

Variable effects of parabrachial nucleus lesions on salt appetite in rats depending upon experimental paradigm and saline concentration

Previous studies have demonstrated that bilateral lesions of the gustatory (medial) zone of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) in the pons eliminate the salt (sodium chloride; NaCl) appetite induced in rats by treatment with the diuretic drug, furosemide. The present studies reexamined NaCl intake of rats with PBN lesions induced by ibotenic acid, using multiple models of salt appetite. The impairment of a conditioned taste aversion, an established consequence of PBN damage, was used as an initial screen with which to assess the effectiveness of the lesions. Rats with PBN lesions did not drink either 0.3 of a molar (M) solution of NaCl or 0.5 M NaCl in response to daily treatment with desoxycorticosterone acetate. These findings suggest that the excitatory stimulus of salt appetite mediated by mineralocorticoids is abolished by PBN lesions. In contrast, rats with PBN lesions drank some 0.5 M NaCl and more 0.3 M NaCl, in addition to water, in response to hypovolemia induced by subcutaneous injection of 30% polyethylene glycol solution. Those findings suggest that an excitatory stimulus of salt appetite, presumably mediated by Angiotensin II, is not abolished by PBN lesions. These and other observations indicate that lesions of the gustatory PBN in rats may or may not eliminate salt appetite, depending on which model is used and which concentration of NaCl solution is available.

Ingestion analgesia occurs when a bad taste turns good

During ingestion of water, chocolate, sucrose, and saccharin, pain-related behaviors are suppressed. This ingestion analgesic effect is reversed when the hedonic valence of a food is switched from "good" to "bad" as occurs during conditioned taste aversion. Here, we tested the converse hedonic shift to determine if ingestion analgesia occurs when 0.3 M NaCl is made palatable by inducing a sodium appetite. In Experiment 1, sham- and sodium-depleted rats were tested for paw withdrawal and lick latencies to brief noxious heat during quiet wake and intraoral NaCl ingestion. Only sodium-depleted rats showed a suppression of heat-evoked reactions during NaCl ingestion. In Experiment 2, we tested whether this analgesic effect is mediated by the brainstem nucleus raphe magnus (NRM). Inactivation of NRM with muscimol blocked ingestion analgesia during NaCl ingestion by sodium-depleted rats. This attenuation was not due to a hyperalgesic effect of NRM inactivation. Muscimol microinjections into a nearby region, the nucleus raphe obscurus (NRO), were ineffective. The present findings demonstrate that the internal milieu of an animal can modify ingestion analgesia, and that the analgesia during NaCl ingestion by sodium hungry rats is mediated by NRM.

Purinergic mechanisms of lateral parabrachial nucleus facilitate sodium depletion-induced NaCl intake

Purinergic receptors are present in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN), a pontine structure involved in the control of sodium intake. In the present study, we investigated the effects of α,β-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (α,β-methylene ATP, selective P2X purinergic agonist) alone or combined with pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid (PPADS, P2X purinergic antagonist) or suramin (non-selective P2 purinergic antagonist) injected into the LPBN on sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake. Male Holtzman rats with stainless steel cannulas implanted into the LPBN were used. Sodium depletion was induced by treating rats with the diuretic furosemide (20mg/kg of body weight) followed by 24h of sodium-deficient diet. Bilateral injections of α,β-methylene ATP (2.0 and 4.0nmol/0.2μl) into the LPBN increased sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake (25.3±0.8 and 26.5±0.9ml/120min, respectively, vs. saline: 15.2±1.3ml/120min). PPADS (4nmol/0.2μl) alone into the LPBN did not change 1.8% NaCl intake, however, pretreatment with PPADS into the LPBN abolished the effects of α,β-methylene ATP on 1.8% NaCl intake (16.9±0.9ml/120min). Suramin (2.0nmol/0.2μl) alone into the LPBN reduced sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake (5.7±1.9ml/120min, vs. saline: 15.5±1.1ml/120min), without changing 2% sucrose intake or 24h water deprivation-induced water intake. The combination of suramin and α,β-methylene ATP into the LPBN produced no change of 1.8% NaCl intake (15.2±1.2ml/120min). The results suggest that purinergic P2 receptor activation in the LPBN facilitates NaCl intake, probably by restraining LPBN mechanisms that inhibit sodium intake.

Antidipsogenic effects of central adenosine-5'-triphosphate

Besides other physiological functions, adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is also a neurotransmitter that acts on purinergic receptors. In spite of the presence of purinergic receptors in forebrain areas involved with fluid-electrolyte balance, the effect of ATP on water intake has not been investigated. Therefore, we studied the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) injections of ATP (100, 200 and 300 nmol/microL) alone or combined with DPCPX or PPADS (P1 and P2 purinergic antagonists, respectively, 25 nmol/microL) on water intake induced by water deprivation. In addition, the effect of icv ATP was also tested on water intake induced by intragastric load of 12% NaCl (2 mL/rat), acute treatment with the diuretic/natriuretic furosemide (20 mg/kg), icv angiotensin II (50 ng/microL) or icv carbachol (a cholinergic agonist, 4 nmol/microL), on sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake, and on food intake induced by food deprivation. Male Holtzman rats (280-320 g, N = 7-11) had cannulas implanted into the lateral ventricle. Icv ATP (300 nmol/microL) reduced water intake induced by water deprivation (13.1 +/- 1.9 vs saline: 19.0 +/- 1.4 mL/2 h; P < 0.05), an effect blocked by pre-treatment with PPADS, but not DPCPX. Icv ATP also reduced water intake induced by NaCl intragastric load (5.6 +/- 0.9 vs saline: 10.3 +/- 1.4 mL/2 h; P < 0.05), acute furosemide treatment (0.5 +/- 0.2 vs saline: 2.3 +/- 0.6 mL/15 min; P < 0.05), and icv angiotensin II (2.2 +/- 0.8 vs saline: 10.4 +/- 2.0 mL/2 h; P < 0.05), without changing icv carbachol-induced water intake, sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake and food deprivation-induced food intake. These data suggest that central ATP, acting on purinergic P2 receptors, reduces water intake induced by intracellular and extracellular dehydration.

Dorsal raphe nuclei integrate allostatic information evoked by depletion-induced sodium ingestion

Structures of the lamina terminalis (LT) sense and integrate information reflecting the state of body water and sodium content. Output from the LT projects into a neural network that regulates body fluid balance. Serotonin (5-HT) and the dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN) have been implicated in the inhibitory control of salt intake (i.e., sodium appetite). Signals arriving from the LT evoked by fluid depletion-induced sodium ingestion interact with this inhibitory serotonergic system. We investigated the role of neurons along the LT that directly project to the DRN. We analyzed the pattern of immunoreactivity (ir) of LT cells double-labeled for Fos (a marker of neural activity) and Fluorogold (FG; a retrograde tracer) following sodium depletion-induced sodium intake. Seven days after injection of FG into the DRN, sodium appetite was induced by furosemide injection and overnight access to only a low sodium diet (Furo-LSD) and distilled water. Twenty-four hours later, access to 0.3 M NaCl was given to depleted or sham-depleted rats and sodium intake was measured over the following 60 min. Ninety minutes after the termination of the intake test, the animals were perfused and their brains were processed for immunohistochemical detection of Fos and FG. Compared to sham-depleted animals there was a significantly greater number of Fos-/FG-ir double-labeled cells in the subfornical organ, the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis and the median preoptic nucleus in rats that ingested NaCl. Projections from the LT cells may contribute to inhibitory mechanisms involving 5-HT neurons in the DRN that limit the intake of sodium and prevent excess volume expansion.

Presystemic signals in the control of thirst, salt appetite, and vasopressin secretion

Presystemic signals play an important role in the control of ingestive behavior by allowing animals to anticipate imminent physiological changes. The significance of such signals in the control of food intake has been amply demonstrated and is widely appreciated. Our recent experiments have revealed that presystemic signals also provide important early feedback when rats drink water or NaCl solution, before the ingested fluids are absorbed and influence cerebral osmoreceptors or cardiovascular baroreceptors. These early signals clearly affect vasopressin (VP) secretion and thirst. They relate either to the distension of the stomach and proximal small intestine (presumably mediated by local stretch receptors) or to the concentration of fluid that empties from the stomach into the small intestine (presumably mediated by visceral osmo- or Na(+)-receptors). Dehydrated dogs use functionally comparable signals from the oropharynx while drinking in order to inhibit both VP secretion and thirst. However, that system differs in several respects from the system in rats aside from the fact that the presystemic signals in rats are not oropharyngeal: in rodents, (a) separate early signals influence VP secretion and thirst, (b) early signals can provide both stimulation and inhibition of VP secretion and thirst, and (c) the early signals are associated with both the volume and concentration of ingested fluid. These presystemic signals also inhibit the intake of NaCl solution by rats with salt appetite.

Inhibition of NaCl appetite when DOCA-treated rats drink saline

Marked increases in the consumption of concentrated NaCl solution were elicited in rats by daily injection of the synthetic mineralocorticoid, deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA). DOCA-treated rats drank different volumes of NaCl solution depending on its concentration (between 0.15 M and 0.50 M), with less consumed (in milliliters) the more concentrated the fluid was. In consequence, total Na+ intake (in milliequivalents) was roughly similar in all groups. Gastric emptying of Na+ also diminished as the concentration of the ingested NaCl solution increased, and the delivery of Na+ to the small intestine was remarkably similar in all groups. Cumulative volume of ingested fluid in the stomach and small intestine was very closely related to intake (in milliliters) of the concentrated NaCl solutions. Systemic plasma Na+ levels did not increase until after rats stopped consuming concentrated NaCl solution, although they were elevated at the onset of water ingestion. The situation appeared to be different when 0.15 M NaCl was consumed. This isotonic solution emptied and was absorbed relatively rapidly, and DOCA-treated rats drank larger amounts of it throughout a 1-h test period than when they drank concentrated NaCl solutions. Collectively, these findings suggest that saline consumption by DOCA-treated rats may be inhibited by two presystemic factors, one related to the volume of ingested fluid (i.e., distension of the stomach and small intestine) and one related to its concentration (i.e., elevated osmolality of fluid in the small intestine and/or in adjacent visceral tissue).

Corticotropin-releasing hormone in the lateral parabrachial nucleus inhibits sodium appetite in rats

The present study investigated the role of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) in the behavioral control of body fluid homeostasis by determining the effect of bilateral injections of the CRH receptor antagonist, α-helical corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)9–41, and the CRH receptor agonist, CRH, on sodium chloride (salt appetite) and water (thirst) intake. Groups of adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats had stainless-steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN and were sodium depleted or water deprived. Bilateral injections of α-helical CRF9–41 into the LPBN significantly potentiated water and salt intake in the sodium-depleted rats when access to fluids was restored. Bilateral injections of α-helical CRF9–41 into the LPBN (1.0 μg) also increased sodium appetite in water-deprived rats. Conversely, in sodium-depleted animals, bilateral injections of CRH inhibited sodium chloride intake. These results suggest that there is an endogenous CRH inhibitory mechanism operating in the LPBN to modulate the intake of sodium (salt appetite). This mechanism may contribute to the behavioral control of restoration of body fluid homeostasis in sodium-deficient states.

Aldosterone target neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius drive sodium appetite

Sodium appetite can be enhanced by the adrenal steroid aldosterone via an unknown brain mechanism. A novel group of neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius expresses the enzyme 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, which makes them selectively responsive to aldosterone. Their activation parallels sodium appetite in different paradigms of salt loss even in the absence of aldosterone. These unique aldosterone target neurons may represent a previously unrecognized central convergence point at which hormonal and neural signals can be integrated to drive sodium appetite.

A novel method for induction of salt appetite in rats

A number of procedures exist for the experimental induction of sodium appetite. With the exception of a low sodium diet, nearly all of these methods are invasive, requiring injections, surgery, or both. In addition to stimulating intake of concentrated salt, some of them produce substantial side-effects like reduced food intake and weight gain. The present experiment was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel non-invasive method to induce a salt appetite. We investigated the effects of ingesting 100 microM amiloride, a diuretic and natriuretic compound, on urine quantity, electrolyte balance, 0.5 1M sodium chloride (NaCl) intake, water intake, and Na(+)-free chow intake, and weight gain in rats. A water ingestion only group served as control. Consumption of amiloride in mixture with water produced greater loss of urinary Na(+) and intake of 0.51 M NaCl compared with controls. This treatment was without effect on food intake and only modestly influenced weight gain. These results demonstrate a rapid and non-invasive method for the induction of salt appetite free of unwanted side-effects.

Sodium deficiency and salt appetite in ICR: CD1 mice

Using an outbred strain of mouse, we examined several characteristics of sodium appetite induced by depletion. We found that an appetite for 0.15 M NaCl solution was stimulated 24 h after injection of furosemide and access to a low-sodium diet, but not by low-sodium diet alone. When the duration of exposure to low-sodium diet was increased from 1 to 7 days, there was no additional effect on either the appetite or the blood plasma changes including elevated hematocrit ratio, protein and aldosterone concentrations, and plasma renin activity (PRA). Mice also showed an appetite for hypertonic (0.5 M) NaCl in solutions or in a gel matrix; the intakes of these two were comparable but the gel measurement was gravimetric so maybe more accurate. In the same study, we showed that single injections of either 10 or 40 mg/kg furosemide followed by a 24-h low-sodium diet produced similar appetites, but that 2.5 mg/kg had a submaximal effect. Lastly, we further validated the use of the gel matrix by showing in chronically depleted mice that intake was inversely related to NaCl concentration in the range 0.5-1.5 M, and that appetite was selective for sodium but not the anion with which it was paired.

Salt appetite: a neurohormonal viewpoint

Sodium is a key component of virtually every mammalian physiological function. As such, many animals have evolved specialized mechanisms for detecting and ameliorating deficits in body sodium, including the development of a robust salt appetite, where normally aversive concentrations of salt are readily consumed during periods of sodium deprivation. Here, we review research spanning more than half a century focusing on the condition and detection of sodium deprivation, the important and unique function of taste in sodium homeostasis, as well as the neurohormonal interactions leading to behaviors aimed at the reversal of sodium deficits. Based on the present literature, we propose a model for the interaction of forebrain and brainstem systems for the mediating circuitry giving rise to salt appetite and discuss the remarkable parallel between what is known about the neurohormonal interactions that regulate salt appetite and those involved in energy homeostasis.

Role of angiotensin in body fluid homeostasis of mice: fluid intake, plasma hormones, and brain Fos

CD1 mice injected peripherally with either ANG I or ANG II failed to drink substantial amounts of water or NaCl, yet showed strong Fos immunoreactivity (ir) in subfornical organ (SFO). Mice injected with furosemide showed modest stimulation of NaCl intake either 3 or 24 h later, were hypovolemic, and showed elevated plasma renin activity (PRA). The pattern of Fos-ir in the brain after furosemide was similar to that seen after peripheral injection of ANG II. Mice became hypovolemic after subcutaneous injection of polyethylene glycol (PEG), showed large increases in PRA, aldosterone, and water intake, but did not show sodium appetite. PEG-treated mice had strong activation of SFO as well as other brain regions previously shown to be related to ANG-associated drinking in rats. ANG II appears to have a modified role in the behavioral response to fluid loss in mice compared with rats.

Furosemide, sodium appetite, and ingestive behavior

Sodium appetite is often produced experimentally by using the diuretic furosemide (Furo) to induce a rapid loss of urinary sodium. The present experiments were designed to investigate the dose-dependent relationship between renal and behavioral responses to Furo. We compared the effects of five different Furo doses (0.5, 1, 2, 6, and 10 mg) on 3% NaCl intake, water intake, Na(+)-free chow intake, urine quantity, electrolyte balance, and weight gain in rats. The Na(+) loss produced by Furo injection was dose dependent from 0.5 to 10 mg and did not change across repeated depletions. There was only a weak correspondence, however, between these dose-dependent changes in renal function and subsequent sodium appetite. This suggests that net Na(+) loss is not the only determinant of sodium intake. Moreover, at the two higher doses of Furo, both food intake and weight dropped significantly, but these did not change following the three lower ones. Given these substantial side effects, the preferred dose of Furo for inducing a salt appetite should not exceed 2.0 mg.

Acute sodium deficit triggers plasticity of the brain angiotensin type 1 receptors

The brain renin-angiotensin system (bRAS) is involved in the control of hydromineral balance. However, little information is available on the functional regulation of the bRAS as a consequence of sodium deficit in the extracellular fluid compartments. We used a pharmacological model of acute Na+ depletion (furosemide injections) to investigate changes of a major component of the bRAS, the hypothalamic angiotensin type 1A (AT(1A)) receptors. Furosemide induced a rapid and long-lasting expression of the AT(1A) mRNA in the subfornical organ, the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), and the parvocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus (pPVN). Na+ depletion increased the number of cells expressing AT(1A) mRNA in the pPVN, but not in the MnPO. The enhancement of AT(1A) mRNA expression was associated with an increase in AT(1) binding sites in all the regions studied. It is of interest that in the paraventricular nucleus, the majority of the neurons expressing AT(1A) mRNA also showed an increase in metabolic activity (Fos-related antigen immunoreactivity [FRA-ir]). By contrast, in the MnPO, we observe two distinct cell populations. Our data demonstrated that an acute Na+ deficit induced a functional regulation of the hypothalamic AT(1A) receptors, indicating that these receptors are subject to plasticity in response to hydromineral perturbations.

Ingestion of hypertonic NaCl vs. palatable drinks by sodium-depleted rats

This work investigated whether the preference for NaCl solution is shifted to more palatable solutions in the adult male sodium-depleted rat (n=6-10 per group). Animals had daily access to three bottles, one containing water, another 1.8% NaCl (300 mM), and a third containing 0.9% NaCl (150 mM), Gatorade (orange--OG or grape flavored--GG), orange juice (sweetened or unsweetened, from concentrate), or 10% sucrose (no sodium). Sodium content in Gatorade and orange juice ranged from 7 to 14 mEq/l. Daily intakes were recorded for at least 5 days prior to sodium depletion. Then, the animals were depleted of sodium (diuretic plus sodium-deficient diet and water for 24 h). Then, the other two bottles were returned to the animals and the intakes were recorded for 120 min (sodium preference test, SPT). Daily intake from the third bottle (except for unsweetened orange juice) at least doubled the daily 1.8% NaCl intake. The average 1.8% NaCl intake (13+/-2 ml) in the SPT was higher than the intake of 10% sucrose (6+/-1 ml) or of any other solution (less than 6 ml). The intakes of 1.8% NaCl and 0.9% NaCl (10+/-3 ml) were similar during the SPT. The animals also preferred 0.9% NaCl (27+/-1 ml) to OG (3+/-1 ml) in the absence of 1.8% NaCl in the SPT. Therefore, the preference for sodium in sodium-depleted rats also applies when palatable and nutritive solutions are simultaneously available.

The role of taste in the recovery from specific nutrient deficiencies in rats

Humans and animals have an impressive ability to use behavioral means to recover from nutritional deficits. Under some conditions, recovery ray be manifest in the form of a specific appetite for the missing nutrient. This review will discuss how the gustatory system is used by the rat to aid in the recovery from deficiencies of sodium, vitamin B, and individual essential amino acids. While it is likely that a deficient rat will use all available cues to guide intake of a limited nutrient, the role of taste can be partitioned out using techniques that measure immediate behavioral responses to brief exposures of taste stimuli and/or by measuring responsiveness before and after nerve transection. Taste can be used to identify stimuli in the environment as well as serve to motivate intake in terms of producing a particular affective reaction. Compensatory alterations in these aspects of the gustatory system are considered for three types of deficiencies. For learned appetites the utility of conditioning paradigms is presented as a potential means to gain a further understanding of behavioral recovery from specific micronutrient deficiencies.

Water deprivation-induced sodium appetite: humoral and cardiovascular mediators and immediate early genes

Adult rats deprived of water for 24-30 h were allowed to rehydrate by ingesting only water for 1-2 h. Rats were then given access to both water and 1.8% NaCl. This procedure induced a sodium appetite defined by the operational criteria of a significant increase in 1.8% NaCl intake (3.8 +/- 0.8 ml/2 h; n = 6). Expression of Fos (as assessed by immunohistochemistry) was increased in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT), median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), subfornical organ (SFO), and supraoptic nucleus (SON) after water deprivation. After rehydration with water but before consumption of 1.8% NaCl, Fos expression in the SON disappeared and was partially reduced in the OVLT and MnPO. However, Fos expression did not change in the SFO. Water deprivation also 1) increased plasma renin activity (PRA), osmolality, and plasma Na+; 2) decreased blood volume; and 3) reduced total body Na+; but 4) did not alter arterial blood pressure. Rehydration with water alone caused only plasma osmolality and plasma Na+ concentration to revert to euhydrated levels. The changes in Fos expression and PRA are consistent with a proposed role for ANG II in the control of the sodium appetite produced by water deprivation followed by rehydration with only water.

Effects of caloric, protein, and sodium deprivation on the affiliative behavior of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The tendency of food-deprived, protein-deprived, and sodium-deprived Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and their respective controls to affiliate with conspecifics deprived of either food, protein, or sodium was examined. The authors found that (a) independent of internal state, focal rats offered a forced choice between protein-deprived and protein-replete target rats spent more time near replete than deprived target rats; and (b) both food-deprived and sodium-deprived focal rats offered a forced choice between food-deprived and replete target rats spent less time near fasted rats than did well-fed and sodium-replete focal rats. The data indicate that (a) rats can distinguish both food-deprived and protein-deprived rats from replete rats and (b) the deprivation states of rats can affect their willingness to affiliate with deprived conspecifics.

Brain versus peripheral angiotensin II receptors in hypovolaemia: behavioural and cardiovascular implications

1. Angiotensin (Ang)II is involved in responses to hypovolaemia, such as sodium appetite and increase in blood pressure. Target areas subserving these responses for AngII include the cardiovascular system in the periphery and the circumventricular organs in the brain. 2. Conflicting data have been reported for the role of systemic versus brain AngII in the mediation of sodium appetite. 3. The role for systemic AngII and systemic AngII receptors in the control of blood pressure in hypovolaemia is well established. In contrast with systemic injections, i.c.v injections of AngII non-peptide AT1 and AT2 receptor antagonists, such as losartan and PD123319, do not reduce arterial pressure in sodium-depleted (furosemide injection plus removal of ambient sodium for 24 h) rats. Thus, brain AngII receptors are likely not important for cardiovascular responses to hypovolaemia induced by sodium depletion. 4. Intracerebroventricular injections of losartan or PD123319 increase arterial pressure when injected at relatively high doses. This hypertensive effect is unlikely to be an agonist effect on brain AngII receptors. Increases in arterial pressure produced by i.c.v. losartan are attenuated by lesions of the tissue surrounding the anterior third ventricle (AV3V). The hypertensive effect of i.c.v. AngII is abolished by lesions of the AV3V. 5. Hypertension induced by AngII receptor antagonists is consistent with hypotension induced by AngII acting in the brain. However, the full physiological significance of this hypotensive effect mediated by brain AngII receptors remains to be determined.

Roles of aldosterone and angiotensin in maturation of sodium appetite in furosemide-treated rats

When rats are treated with furosemide, there is a rapid natriuresis. However, increased sodium appetite does not occur until some time later. One hypothesis to explain this delay is that increased circulating levels of the hormones of sodium depletion prime or sensitize the brain circuits involved in sodium appetite, perhaps by induction of target gene(s). In the present study, we describe the time course of the temporal maturation of sodium appetite after furosemide treatment and the associated changes in plasma levels of ANG II and aldosterone and in plasma volume. Sodium appetite is modest 3 h after furosemide treatment, is increased after 12 h, and is still larger after 24 h. This pattern is evident with repeated testing. Plasma levels of aldosterone and plasma renin activity are substantially increased 3 h after furosemide treatment, and so the NaCl appetite cannot result simply from progressively increasing levels of these hormones. Furthermore, activation of the subfornical organ and the ventral lamina terminalis, assessed with c-Fos immunocytochemistry, did not differ across these three times. Metyrapone, an inhibitor of adrenal steroid synthesis, was used to examine sodium appetite in the absence of elevations in aldosterone after furosemide treatment. Although metyrapone effectively blocked the increase in aldosterone, it was without effect on the appetite 3 or 24 h after furosemide treatment. Furthermore, elevations of plasma aldosterone by the use of minipumps for several days before furosemide treatment did not prime or potentiate but instead tended to inhibit the induced sodium appetite, despite achieving levels of aldosterone and plasma renin activity typically associated with a robust sodium appetite. Infusions of DOCA gave a similar result. Lastly, minipump infusions of ANG II also did not potentiate sodium appetite. Thus neither addition nor subtraction of these hormones alone influenced sodium appetite under these conditions.

Sedation and need-free salt intake in rats treated with clonidine

The effect of intraperitoneal injection of clonidine (9-72 microg/kg) on need-free 1.5% NaCl intake and on performance (defined as percent of a complete trial) in the rotarod test, was studied in normovolemic adult male rats. Clonidine (18 and 36 microg/kg) inhibited the 1.5% NaCl intake in a 2-h test at doses that did not alter the performance in the rotarod test. The dose of 36 microg/kg did not inhibit 10% sucrose intake. Only the highest dose (72 microg/kg) of clonidine inhibited the 1.5% NaCl intake and the performance in the rotarod test, and produced signs of sedation. Sedation was determined either by change in posture (immobility or lack of postural tonus) of the animals during the ingestive test or by their performance in the rotarod test. The results suggest that sedation is not a determinant effect on the inhibition of 1.5% NaCl intake induced by clonidine.

Lateral parabrachial nucleus serotonergic mechanisms and salt appetite induced by sodium depletion

This study investigated the effects of bilateral injections of a serotonin (5-HT) receptor agonist into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) on the intake of NaCl and water induced by 24-h water deprivation or by sodium depletion followed by 24 h of sodium deprivation (injection of the diuretic furosemide plus 24 h of sodium-deficient diet). Rats had stainless steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN. Bilateral LPBN injections of the serotonergic 5-HT1/2 receptor antagonist methysergide (4 micrograms/200 nl at each site) increased hypertonic NaCl intake when tested 24 h after sodium depletion and after 24 h of water deprivation. Water intake also increased after bilateral injections of methysergide into the LPBN. In contrast, the intake of a palatable solution (0.06 M sucrose) under body fluid-replete conditions was not changed after bilateral LPBN methysergide injections. The results show that serotonergic mechanisms in the LPBN modulate water and sodium intake induced by volume depletion and sodium loss. The finding that sucrose intake was not affected by LPBN serotonergic blockade suggests that the effects of the methysergide treatment on the intakes of water and NaCl are not due to a mechanism producing a nonspecific enhancement of all ingestive behaviors.

Schedule-induced polydipsic consumption of hypertonic NaCl solutions: effects of chlordiazepoxide

Rats were exposed to daily, 3-h sessions of schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) in which either water, hypertonic NaCl solution (1.5% or 2.2%), or concurrent water and 1.5% NaCl were available. Each condition was in effect for several, consecutive weeks. Presession subcutaneous injections of chlordiazepoxide (CDZP) produced dose-related increases in the polydipsic ingestion of both NaCl solutions but had smaller and less certain effects on water consumption. Under the concurrent-fluid presentation condition, CDZP primarily increased NaCl solution consumption. Conditions generating SIP may function to attenuate what might be viewed as the punishing effects of ingesting highly hypertonic NaCl solutions, thereby permitting the chronic self-administration of large, daily amounts. Like many benzodiazepines, CDZP can attenuate the effects of punishment and thereby also increase NaCl solution ingestion. The two sources of punishment attenuation may be additive, with both differentially effecting greater increases in hypertonic NaCl ingestion, compared to water, when both fluids are presented concurrently.

The neuroendocrinology of thirst and salt appetite: visceral sensory signals and mechanisms of central integration

This review examines recent advances in the study of the behavioral responses to deficits of body water and body sodium that in humans are accompanied by the sensations of thirst and salt appetite. Thirst and salt appetite are satisfied by ingesting water and salty substances. These behavioral responses to losses of body fluids, together with reflex endocrine and neural responses, are critical for reestablishing homeostasis. Like their endocrine and neural counterparts, these behaviors are under the control of both excitatory and inhibitory influences arising from changes in osmolality, endocrine factors such as angiotensin and aldosterone, and neural signals from low and high pressure baroreceptors. The excitatory and inhibitory influences reaching the brain require the integrative capacity of a neural network which includes the structures of the lamina terminalis, the amygdala, the perifornical area, and the paraventricular nucleus in the forebrain, and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN), the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), and the area postrema in the hindbrain. These regions are discussed in terms of their roles in receiving afferent sensory input and in processing information related to hydromineral balance. Osmoreceptors controlling thirst are located in systemic viscera and in central structures that lack the blood-brain barrier. Angiotensin and aldosterone act on and through structures of the lamina terminalis and the amygdala to stimulate thirst and sodium appetite under conditions of hypovolemia. The NTS and LPBN receive neural signals from baroreceptors and are responsible for inhibiting the ingestion of fluids under conditions of increased volume and pressure and for stimulating thirst under conditions of hypovolemia and hypotension. The interplay of multiple facilitory influences within the brain may take the form of interactions between descending angiotensinergic systems originating in the forebrain and ascending adrenergic systems emanating from the hindbrain. Oxytocin and serotonin are additional candidate neurochemicals with postulated inhibitory central actions and with essential roles in the overall integration of sensory input within the neural network devoted to maintaining hydromineral balance.

Central alpha-adrenergic agonists and need-induced 3% NaCl and water intake

In the present study, noradrenaline (NOR, alpha-non-specific adrenergic agonist), clonidine (CLO, alpha 2), phenylephrine (PHE, alpha 1) or isoproterenol (ISO, beta-agonist) was injected in the medial septal area (MSA) of water-deprived, sodium-deplete or food-deprived rats. NOR (80, 160 nmol) inhibited the intake of 3% NaCl, water deprivation-induced and meal-associated water intake. Food deprivation-induced food intake and 10% sucrose intake were not altered by NOR. CLO (10, 20, 30, 40 nmol) inhibited (80-100% inhibition compared to control during 60 min) the intake of 3% NaCl, water deprivation-induced and meal-associated water intake. CLO had a weaker inhibition on food and 10% sucrose intake (30-50% less than the control during 60 and 15 min, respectively). PHE (160 nmol) inhibited 3% NaCl intake and 10% sucrose intake (30% less than the control for 15-30 min). ISO (160 nmol) did not alter water or 3% NaCl intake. NOR induced an increase, CLO and ISO induced a decrease, and PHE no alteration in mean arterial pressure. NOR did not alter water or 3% NaCl intake when injected unilaterally into the caudate nucleus. The results suggest that NOR injected in the MSA acts on alpha 2-adrenergic receptors inducing a specific inhibition of 3% NaCl and water intake.

Hemodialysis increases the preference for salt in soup

Eighteen hemodialysis patients rated 7 concentrations of salt in soup immediately before dialysis and 24 h later. Preference ratings were higher after dialysis. Patients over 65 years old did not increase their ratings. Hypertensive patients increased their preference for salt after dialysis like normotensives, but rated lower concentrations of salt as more intense and were less able to discriminate the intensity of salt taste. The findings suggest that humans may respond to reductions in bodily sodium with a delayed increase in preference for salt.

Effects of intracerebroventricular injections of losartan or PD123319 on arterial pressure and heart rate of sodium replete and sodium deplete rats

Angiotensin II (Ang II) non-peptide antagonists were injected i.c.v. (6.25-200 nmol, n = 5-8 rats/group). In sodium replete rats, losartan (AT1 receptor antagonist) induced an increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and in heart rate (HR) by 3rd ventricular (3rdV) injection, and an weaker pressor response and bradycardia by 4th ventricular (4thV) injection. PD123319 (AT2 receptor antagonist) induced an increase in MAP and in HR by 3rdV injection, and an increase in MAP and no alteration in HR by 4thV injection. In sodium deplete (furosemide plus removal of ambient sodium for 24 h) rats, losartan induced an increase in MAP and no alteration in HR by 3rdV injection, and no alteration in MAP and bradycardia by 4thV injection. PD123319 induced an increase in MAP and in HR by 3rdV injection, and an increase in MAP and bradycardia by 4thV injection. Thus, there were no fall in MAP by central injections of Ang II antagonists. Intravenous injection of losartan, but not of PD123319, induced a fall in MAP in both sodium replete and sodium deplete animals. Therefore, losartan and PD123319 can have similar effects on MAP and HR when injected intracerebroventricularly, although some differences are also present. The bradycardia is consistent with an withdrawal of Ang II inhibitory action on baroreflex.

Effect of tachykinins on the need-free sodium intake of female rats: a continuous intracerebroventricular infusion study

The present study investigated the effect of 24-h continuous ICV infusion of four different tachykinins on the enhanced need-free sodium intake induced by previous repeated sodium depletions in female rats. Female rats were employed because, in response to sodium depletions, they develop a higher need-free sodium intake than male rats. The following tachykinins were used: eledoisin, substance P (SP), [Sar9,Met(O2)11]SP and [Asp5,6,MePhe8]SP(5-11), also referred to as NH2-senktide, all at the same doses of 300 or 600 ng/h x 24 h. Food pellets, water, and 3% NaCl sodium solution were freely available. Eledoisin and NH2-senktide were more potent than SP in reducing the need-free sodium intake. On the other hand, [Sar9,Met(O2)11]SP had no effect. None of the tachykinins employed completely blocked the intake. Water intake was reduced, but this reduction was apparently a consequence of reduced intake of hypertonic sodium chloride solution, because at the same doses TKs did not inhibit water intake in a single-bottle test. Food intake remained unchanged at either dose used. These findings confirm previous studies in which pulse injection of the same drugs potently inhibited sodium intake. They also demonstrate that tachykinins endowed with high affinity for the NK3 receptor are the most potent in inhibiting sodium intake. Furthermore, these findings indicate that the tachykinins reduce the need-free sodium intake only during the infusion period, indicating that in these conditions they do not evoke either aversion for salt, or toxic consequences in the follow-up period.

Serotoninergic modulation of sodium appetite in the rat

There are two mechanisms leading to an enhancement of salt intake: one is induced by a sodium deficit and the other is need-free. The serotonin involvement in need-induced and/or need-free sodium appetite is interesting to consider because related drugs are already used against another cardiovascular risk factor, obesity. The effect of dexfenfluramine (1.5 or 3 mg/kg), an anorectic drug enhancing 5-HT transmission, and of metergoline (2 or 4 mg/kg), a 5-HT antagonist, was assessed in need-induced (depletion-induced), subsequent need-free, and spontaneous sodium appetite. Dexfenfluramine (3 mg/kg) decreased by 75% to 90% the depletion-induced intake of an aversive 3% NaCl solution, as well as the spontaneous intake of a less aversive 1.8% NaCl solution. Water intake was not diminished under these conditions. Metergoline significantly increased salt intake in need-free conditions in rats with either a history of three previous depletions or not. These results confirm the involvement of serotonin in sodium appetite and extend this involvement to both need-induced (natriorexis) and need-free (natriophilia) conditions. The metergoline experiments also suggest that 5-HT exerts a tonic inhibition on salt intake.

Learned preferences for the flavor of salted food

We examined whether rats can associate the flavor of their food with its salt content, and whether this association is influenced by sodium status during training and testing. During two pairs of 2-h training trials, rats ate flavored food containing 1.75% NaCl or an alternatively flavored unsalted food. The motivational state of the rats was manipulated prior to each trial by combined 48-h dietary sodium deprivation and furosemide treatment (severe sodium depletion), 48-h dietary sodium deprivation (mild sodium deprivation), or continued maintenance on stock diet containing 1% NaCl (sodium replete). When later given a choice between the two flavors, all rats preferred food containing the salt-paired flavor. The strength of this preference was unaffected by motivational state during training or by the salt content of the test foods, but was modulated by the motivational state of the rats during the preference test. Preference for the salt-paired flavor was strongest when rats were tested after severe sodium depletion, less strong after mild sodium deprivation, and absent when sodium replete. These results indicate that deprivation state during training has little effect on learned preferences for the flavor of salted food but deprivation state during testing affects the expression of this learning.

Effects of combined hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride versus single drug on changes in salt taste and intake

Hydrochlorothiazide stimulates salt intake without altering salivary or gustatory function. Amiloride reportedly reduces salivary sodium levels and salt taste. It was hypothesized that these unintended drug actions would be attenuated by concurrent use of these 2 diuretics. Normotensive adults (n = 23) were administered placebo for 2 weeks, active combination drug Moduretic for 4 weeks, and placebo again for 2 weeks in a double-blind protocol. Salivary flow, gustatory function and sodium intake were monitored at the end of each period, together with selected physiologic measures (i.e., plasma aldosterone, plasma renin activity, body composition, blood pressure and heart rate). No significant changes were observed for salivary flow, salt taste or sodium intake. These findings indicate that amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide used in combination can reduce drug effects that may compromise the efficacy of either drug when used alone.

Manipulations of the renin-angiotensin system and intake of a sweetened alcoholic beverage among rats

Standard laboratory rats were maintained on a daily regimen involving deprivation of fluids for 22 h followed by a 2-h opportunity to drink water and a sweetened alcoholic beverage. Angiotensin II, in doses ranging from 0.1 to 1.25 mg/kg, dose relatedly decreased rats' mean intake of ethanol. All doses increased rats' mean intake of water. Angiotensin II, 0.25 mg/kg, reliably reduced intake of ethanol when it was presented alone during the 1st h of the daily 2-h drinking session, and reliably increased intake of water when it was subsequently presented alone during the 2nd h. Thus the reduction in intake of ethanol seen when the alcoholic beverage is presented concurrently with water is probably not merely due to the increase in intake of water. Lisinopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, in doses of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg, dose relatedly decreased intake of ethanol, but only after several days of injections. Concurrent intake of water was increased dose relatedly. When injections of lisinopril ceased, intakes of both ethanol and water took several days to return to control levels. Pretreatment with lisinopril, 3.0 mg/kg, for 8 days, had no effect on subsequent intakes of either water or ethanol. Lisinopril, 3.0 mg/kg, had no effect on rats' intake of a sweet solution without ethanol. These results confirm previous work and extend the data base supporting the idea that the renin-angiotensin system plays a role in modulating intake of ethanol.

Ethanol as a reinforcer for rats: factors of facilitation and constraint

This review examines some particular approaches that have been used to investigate factors that facilitate or constrain the self-administration of ethanol by rats. A technique for increasing ethanol self-administration in rats, the prandial drinking method, was examined and the effect of body-weight reduction on drug intake was discussed. Emphasis was placed on how ethanol intake may be controlled by processes in addition to the direct pharmacological actions of the drug in the CNS. These processes may be physiological. Evidence was presented for a relationship between activity in the renin-angiotensin system and the self-administration of ethanol. These processes may also be environmental. Using the place-conditioning technique, demonstrations were presented of how the context or situation in which ethanol is experienced may determine whether preference or aversion for the drug develops. Such a diversity in the factors that can potentially control ethanol intake may complicate the identification of the causes of alcohol abuse, but this same diversity also holds out greater hope that manipulations may be found to reduce excessive drinking in humans.

Modification of ethanol-induced motor impairment by diet, diuretic, mineralocorticoid, or prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor

Ethanol-induced motor impairment in rats was measured following a number of different dietary or drug treatments. A low sodium diet combined with injections of the diuretic furosemide, but not a low sodium diet alone, increased motor impairment while a high sodium diet decreased impairment. Blood ethanol measurements indicated that both effects were probably mediated by changes in blood ethanol levels. However, the synthetic mineralocorticoid, DOCA, and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, indomethacin, both altered ethanol-induced motor impairment without concomitant changes in blood ethanol levels. The aldosterone antagonist, spironolactone, failed to produce any effect. Since all treatments can modulate activity in the renin-angiotension system, this system appears to play a role in altering some of the behavioral properties of ethanol.

Dietary salt and doca-salt treatments modify ethanol self-selection in rats

The effect of a salt supplemented diet on the voluntary intake of ethanol in male Wistar rats was examined in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the addition of 3% sodium chloride to the diet selectively increased the intake of moderately concentrated ethanol solutions (3 and 6%) while leaving the choice of a 12% solution unaffected. The choice and intake of water in the two former groups declined. In a second experiment four different groups of rats were offered the 3% salt supplemented diet in combination with daily injections of the synthetic salt-retaining mineralocorticoid desoxycorticosterone acetate (0.5, 1.5, and 6.0 mg/day). Ethanol intake again tended to increase in the 3 and 6% groups but in contrast to the results of Experiment 1 water intake also increased significantly. When desoxycorticosterone was administered without the salt supplemented diet, ethanol intake was significantly depressed while water intake increased. These findings indicate that a salt supplemented diet can significantly and selectively enhance the intake of moderately concentrated ethanol solutions and that while the addition of desoxycorticosterone injections to this diet has its effect primarily on water intake, these injections alone can also suppress ethanol intake indirectly by shifting the animals choice toward water and away from ethanol.