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Proopiomelanocortin Messenger RNA is Decreased in the Mediobasal Hypothalamus of Rats Made Dependent on Ethanol
Author(s) -
Scanlon Martin N.,
LazarWesley Eliane,
Grant Kathleen A.,
Kunos George
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1992.tb00711.x
Subject(s) - proopiomelanocortin , hypothalamus , ethanol , medicine , endocrinology , messenger rna , endogeny , pituitary gland , chemistry , biology , hormone , gene , biochemistry
It is thought that certain actions of ethanol involve an interaction with endogenous opioids, including proopiomelanocortin‐derived pep‐tides such as β‐endorphin. To examine this possibility, we used a sensitive and specific assay for proopiomelanocortin mRNA to obtain an estimate of the activity of the endorphinergic system in the mediobasal hypothalamus and the pituitary of rats exposed for 10 days in an inhalation chamber to either ethanol or water. This protocol causes dependence in the ethanol‐exposed group, as demonstrated by the presence of withdrawal seizures after cessation of treatment. While ethanol treatment did not affect proopiomelanocortin mRNA levels in the pituitary, the level in hypothalamus was significantly lower in the ethanol‐treated animals than in controls. These results suggest that some effects of ethanol may involve the hypothalamic endorphinergic system.