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Cyclosporine-A discourages ethanol intake in C57bl/6j mice: a preliminary study
- Source :
- Journal of studies on alcohol. 66(5)
- Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- Remarkably high rates of abstinence occur among alcohol-dependent persons after a liver transplant. This was thought to be solely due to selection or other nonbiological factors. Observing sustained abstinence for many months to years after a liver transplant, however, we asked whether immunosuppressants might exert a biological effect that supported abstinence from ethanol.We hypothesized that cyclosporine-A-treated mice would drink less ethanol given a choice between water and 10% ethyl alcohol. After a 3-day ethanol conditioning period, C57bl/6j mice (n = 20) medicated with cyclosporine-A (50 mg/kg) and a control group of unmedicated mice (n = 20) injected with saline were given free access to either water or the ethanol solution.The medicated mice drank significantly less ethanol throughout the 11-day choice protocol. This was significant whether measured by mean alcohol consumption per day (p = .003) or by alcohol preference as a percent of total liquid intake per day (p = .03). The two groups did not differ significantly in total daily fluid consumption.These data suggest that cyclosporine-A lowers alcohol preference in mice. Mechanism of action, similar effects by other centrally acting immunosuppressants and translation to humans all remain to be studied. If fruitful, elucidating the actions of cyclosporine and other immunosuppressants that activate central nervous system receptors may illuminate the pathophysiology of alcohol use and addiction.
- Subjects :
- Male
Alcohol Drinking
media_common.quotation_subject
medicine.medical_treatment
Medicine (miscellaneous)
Physiology
Poison control
Alcohol
Toxicology
chemistry.chemical_compound
Mice
Medicine
Animals
Saline
General Psychology
media_common
Motivation
Ethanol
business.industry
Abstinence
Ciclosporin
Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemistry
Alcohol Deterrents
Cyclosporine
Conditioning
business
Immunosuppressive Agents
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 0096882X
- Volume :
- 66
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of studies on alcohol
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....f7474174412024d1a951aa4cbe818042