Long-term exposure to a sweetened alcoholic solution does not alter genetic aversion to ethanol in Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats

Differential sensitivity of ethanol-elicited ERK phosphorylation in nucleus accumbens of Sardinian alcohol-preferring and -non preferring rats

Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and -non preferring (sNP) rats have been selectively bred for opposite ethanol preference and consumption; sP rats represent a validated experimental tool to model several aspects of excessive ethanol drinking in humans. Phosphorylated Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinase (pERK) in dopamine-rich terminal areas plays a critical role in several psychopharmacological effects of addictive drugs, including ethanol. This study was aimed at investigating whether ethanol-elicited ERK activation may differ in key brain areas of ethanol-naïve sP and sNP rats. To this end, the effects of ethanol (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg, administered intra-gastrically [i.g.]) on ERK phosphorylation were assessed by pERK immunohistochemistry in the shell (AcbSh) and core (AcbC) of the nucleus accumbens (Acb) as well as in the prelimbic (PrL) and infralimbic (IL) prefrontal cortex (PFCx), in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BSTL) and in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Ethanol (1 g/kg) significantly increased pERK immunoreactivity in AcbSh and AcbC of sP but not sNP rats. Conversely, ethanol failed to affect pERK expression in PrL and IL PFCx as well as in BSTL and CeA of both sP and sNP rats. These results suggest that selective breeding of these rat lines results in differential effects of acute ethanol on ERK phosphorylation in brain regions critical for the psychopharmacological effects of ethanol.

Repeated exposure to alcoholic beer does not induce long-lasting changes in alcohol self-administration and intake in sardinian alcohol-preferring and sardinian non-preferring rats

AIMS

Rats avidly consume non-alcoholic beer, and addition of alcohol to non-alcoholic beer may function as a medium to induce intake of large amounts of alcohol in rats. The present study investigated whether Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and Sardinian non-preferring (sNP) rats, initially exposed to non-alcoholic beer, and subsequently to non-alcoholic beer containing increasing concentrations of alcohol, would develop unusually high alcohol self-administration and drinking behaviours: (i) when alcohol was added to non-alcoholic beer, and (2) once beer was withdrawn and a plain alcohol solution was made available.

METHODS

In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to operant, 30-min/day self-administration sessions of non-alcoholic beer with increasing concentrations of alcohol [0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% (v/v)] for a total of 45 days. After a brief 'beer-fading' phase, the rats were exposed to self-administration sessions of a plain 10% (v/v) alcohol solution. In Experiment 2, the rats were exposed to non-alcoholic beer with increasing concentrations of alcohol [0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% (v/v)] and water under the 2-bottle choice regimen with unlimited access (24 h/day) for a total of 35 days. After a brief 'beer-fading' phase, the rats were exposed to the choice between a plain 10% (v/v) alcohol solution and water.

RESULTS

sP and sNP rats did not differ in self-administration (Experiment 1) and intake (Experiment 2) of non-alcoholic beer. In Experiment 1, as alcohol content increased, the amount of self-administered alcohol increased progressively in sP rats (up to 1-1.2 g/kg) and remained stable in sNP rats (approximately 0.65 g/kg). When the plain 10% alcohol solution was available, the amount of self-administered alcohol in sP rats initially dropped, and tended to increase-up to approximately 0.6 g/kg-on continuing exposure. In sNP rats, their lever-pressing behaviour was rapidly extinguished after beer withdrawal. In Experiment 2, as alcohol content was increased, daily alcohol intake increased progressively in sP rats (up to 8-9 g/kg) and averaged approximately 2.4 g/kg in sNP rats. When the plain alcohol solution was available, daily alcohol intake in sP rats was initially low, reaching control values on continuing exposure; conversely, daily alcohol intake was completely suppressed in sNP rats.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that exposure to alcoholic beer resulted in unusually high intakes of alcohol in both sP and sNP rats for as long as non-alcoholic beer was added to alcohol; however, these high levels of alcohol self-administration and intake were not maintained once non-alcoholic beer was withdrawn.

Phenotypic characterization of genetically selected Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and -non-preferring (sNP) rats

Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and -non-preferring (sNP) rats are one of the pairs of rat lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference and consumption, respectively, under the homecage, continuous two-bottle choice regimen. sP rats meet most of the fundamental criteria for an animal model of alcoholism, in that they voluntarily consume sufficient amounts of alcohol to achieve significant blood alcohol levels and produce psychopharmacological effects, including anxiolysis and motor stimulation. sP rats are also willing to 'work' (such as lever-pressing) for alcohol. Chronic alcohol drinking in sP rats results in the development of tolerance to a given effect of alcohol (specifically, motor incoordination) and relapse-like drinking (the alcohol deprivation effect). Conversely, sNP rats avoid alcohol virtually completely; their avoidance for alcohol being resistant even to an environmental manipulation such as long-term exposure to alcohol plus sucrose. sP and sNP rats have been characterized for different phenotypes, possibly associated to their different alcohol preference and consumption. In comparison with sNP rats, alcohol-naive sP rats displayed (1) more anxiety-related behaviors; (2) higher initial sensitivity to the locomotor stimulating and sedative/hypnotic effects of alcohol; and (3) lower sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol. The present paper reviews the data collected to date on alcohol drinking behavior and other alcohol-related behaviors in sP and sNP rats. The behavioral profile of sP rats is also compared with that of other lines of selectively bred alcohol-preferring rats and the heterogeneity resulting from this comparison is discussed in terms of different animal models for the different forms of alcoholism.

Saccharin consumption and the effect of a long-term exposure to a sweetened alcoholic solution in high- (UChB) and low- (UChA) alcohol-drinking rats

An association between saccharin consumption and alcohol intake has been observed in rodent lines genetically developed for alcohol preference or alcohol avoidance. It has also been proposed that a sweetened alcohol solution can condition rats to consume high amounts of alcohol. This work had two aims. First, to study the relationship between saccharin and alcohol intake in both high-alcohol-drinking UChB rats and low-alcohol-drinking UChA rats and, second, to determine whether a long-term exposure to a sweetened alcohol solution can increase their voluntary alcohol consumption. For the first purpose, UChB and UChA rats were tested under a free-choice paradigm between two graduated bottles, one containing a saccharin solution (0.1, 0.2, or 0.4% [wt/vol]) and the other water. For the second purpose, UChB and UChA rats that were under free choice between 10% alcohol and water, were offered a 10% alcohol solution containing 0.2% saccharin, instead of 10% alcohol for 1 month and were then returned to free choice between 10% alcohol and water. The first experiment showed that both lines have a high preference for saccharin at any concentration, but UChB rats drank twice as much saccharin solution as UChA rats and consequently they increased significantly their total daily fluid intake. This fact has been suggested to be an animal analogue of the clinical phenomenon known as "loss of control." In the second experiment a long-term exposure to a 10% alcohol solution containing 0.2% saccharin induced a significant increase in alcohol consumption in UChB rats once saccharin was faded out, whereas the alcohol consumption in UChA rats returned to the previous low value. This result indicates that UChA rats have a genetic predisposition to avoid alcohol. In conclusion, the results reported here for UChB and UChA rats show an association between saccharin and alcohol preference, and suggest that their different genotypes are probably involved in alcohol aversion.

The cerebellar GABAA α6 subunit is differentially modulated by chronic ethanol exposure in normal (R100R) and mutated (Q100Q) sNP rats

Sardinian alcohol non-preferring (sNP) rats carry a point mutation (R100Q) in the cerebellar expressed GABAA receptor alpha6 subunit gene, leading to a higher sensitivity to ethanol and diazepam. The role of the alpha6 subunit gene cluster in the ethanol non-preferring phenotype was here investigated by measuring the levels of alpha1, alpha6 and gamma2 peptide in the cerebellum of normal (RR) and mutated (QQ) sNP rats after 2 weeks of chronic ethanol administration. Western blot analysis revealed that the alpha6 subunit is increased in RR sNP rats after chronic ethanol exposure (25.44%+/-8.69 versus control), while it remained unchanged in mutated QQ sNP rats. Interestingly, chronic ethanol administration decreased alpha1 peptide levels in the cerebellum of both rat lines to a similar extent (30.99%+/-6.74 and 27.12%+/-9.83 in RR and QQ rats, respectively), while gamma2 peptide levels remained unchanged. To further correlate the genetic and biochemical difference of the normal and mutated sNP rats with their aversive phenotype, we exposed sNP rats to a protocol of acquisition and maintenance of ethanol drinking. QQ sNP rats drank less ethanol than RR rats during the acquisition phase, but such difference was lost during the maintenance phase. These data may contribute to elucidating the mechanisms of alcohol avoidance in rat lines selected for this behavior when exposed to ethanol solution.