Genetic Differences in the Effect of Ethanol on Plasma Corticosterone and Nonesterified Fatty Acid in Rats

Abstract

The influence of genotype on the responsiveness to ethanol in rodents was examined using biochemical measures. Nine different strains of rats were treated with saline or various doses of ethanol, and the changes in plasma corticosterone and of nonesterified free fatty acids were measured 1 hr later. It was found that the BUF/N strain of rats had the lowest response on both measures and also had the lowest blood ethanol levels. The most sensitive strains to ethanol were the ACI/N with respect to corticosterone, and WKY/N and M520/N with respect to nonesterified free fatty acids. The highest blood ethanol levels were seen in the MR/N and the WKY/N strains of rats.

Differential Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Withdrawal on Circadian Temperature and Activity Rhythms in Sprague–Dawley, Lewis, and Fischer Male and Female Rats

“…Experimental evidence for the role of genetic factors has been derived from studies of selectively bred rodent lines and from inbred mouse strains that differ in the sensitivity of some aspect of their behavioral and physiological responses to ethanol (EtOH) (Crabbe et al, 1994; Li et al, 1993; Pohorecky, 1984). One such neuroendocrine response is EtOH‐induced activation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis (HPA), whose magnitude has provided an experimental (Pohorecky, 1984) and clinical (Schuckit and Smith, 1996) index of differential genetic sensitivity to EtOH. For example, the hyporesponsive EtOH‐induced HPA activation of family history (FH)‐positive subjects has been shown to distinguish them from FH‐negative subjects (Schuckit and Smith, 1996).…”

Central Mechanisms of Ethanol-Induced Adrenocortical Response in Selectively Bred Lines of Mice

“…This time interval was chosen since it has been reported that 4 days of handling minimize the elevation in plasma corticos terone caused by the procedural stress of the experiment [42]. Ani mals were weighed on the night prior to the experiment so as to minimize the handling of the mice on the day of the experiment.…”