TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethanol consumption in the female Long-Evans rat
T2 - A modulatory role of estradiol
AU - Ford, Matthew M.
AU - Eldridge, J. Charles
AU - Samson, Herman H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants P50AA11997 (to HHS) and T32AA07565 (to MMF) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. We would like to thank Dr. William Sonntag for the use of his surgical facilities and Sharla Flohr for her assistance with surgical procedures.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - The examination of various gonadal hormone manipulations on ethanol intake in human subjects and in rodent models has resulted in disparate findings. In the present study, we examined the effects of ovariectomy and subsequent estradiol (E2) replacement on ethanol intake in a within-subject design, as well as assessed the relevance of reproductive status on the efficacy of an E2 stimulus in eliciting consumption. Female Long-Evans rats (n = 24) were given access to 10% ethanol and water in a continuous-access paradigm. After establishment of baseline intake values, rats were divided into four groups: sham/placebo (Shm+P), sham/estradiol (Shm+E2), ovariectomized/placebo (Ovx+P), and ovariectomized/estradiol (Ovx+E2). Rats in the Ovx+P group were found to have a large and permanent decline in ethanol intake that persisted more than 3 months postsurgery. Administration of E2 to Ovx+E2 rats was associated with restoration of ethanol consumption to baseline levels. When Shm+E2 and Ovx+E2 groups were compared, reproductive status was found to be a determining factor in the efficacy of E2 to elicit ethanol intake. Together, these findings provide evidence that ovarian hormones, particularly estradiol, exert activational effects on estrogen-responsive substrates to modulate ethanol consumption in the adult female rat.
AB - The examination of various gonadal hormone manipulations on ethanol intake in human subjects and in rodent models has resulted in disparate findings. In the present study, we examined the effects of ovariectomy and subsequent estradiol (E2) replacement on ethanol intake in a within-subject design, as well as assessed the relevance of reproductive status on the efficacy of an E2 stimulus in eliciting consumption. Female Long-Evans rats (n = 24) were given access to 10% ethanol and water in a continuous-access paradigm. After establishment of baseline intake values, rats were divided into four groups: sham/placebo (Shm+P), sham/estradiol (Shm+E2), ovariectomized/placebo (Ovx+P), and ovariectomized/estradiol (Ovx+E2). Rats in the Ovx+P group were found to have a large and permanent decline in ethanol intake that persisted more than 3 months postsurgery. Administration of E2 to Ovx+E2 rats was associated with restoration of ethanol consumption to baseline levels. When Shm+E2 and Ovx+E2 groups were compared, reproductive status was found to be a determining factor in the efficacy of E2 to elicit ethanol intake. Together, these findings provide evidence that ovarian hormones, particularly estradiol, exert activational effects on estrogen-responsive substrates to modulate ethanol consumption in the adult female rat.
KW - Continuous access
KW - Estradiol replacement
KW - Ethanol self-administration
KW - Female rat
KW - Ovariectomy
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U2 - 10.1016/S0741-8329(01)00203-8
DO - 10.1016/S0741-8329(01)00203-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 12007585
AN - SCOPUS:0036238221
SN - 0741-8329
VL - 26
SP - 103
EP - 113
JO - Alcohol
JF - Alcohol
IS - 2
ER -