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Effects of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist, nor‐binaltorphimine, on ethanol intake: Impact of age and sex
Author(s) -
Morales Melissa,
Anderson Rachel I.,
Spear Linda P.,
Varlinskaya Elena I.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21137
Subject(s) - κ opioid receptor , medicine , endocrinology , antagonist , ethanol , opioid , opioid receptor , chemistry , receptor , biochemistry
The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, nor‐binaltorphimine (nor‐BNI), was used to investigate the role of the KOR system in mediating ethanol intake. On P25 (adolescent) or P67 (adult) male and female rats were individually housed and given ad libitum access to food and water. The experimental procedure was initiated on P28 or P70: animals were given 30 min/day access to a 10% ethanol/supersaccharin solution every other day (3 baseline exposures). On the day after the final baseline test, rats were injected with nor‐BNI (0, 2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg), with testing initiated 24 hr later (30‐min access every other day, 3 test exposures). Nor‐BNI (10 mg/kg) increased ethanol intake in adult males, whereas the same dose decreased intake in adult females, suggesting pronounced sex differences in KOR‐associated mediation of ethanol intake in adulthood. There was no impact of nor‐BNI in adolescent animals of either sex, suggesting that the KOR may play less of a role in modulating ethanol intake during adolescence. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc . Dev Psychobiol 56: 700–712, 2014.