RO15-4513 ATTENUATES THE CONSUMPTION OF ETHANOL IN DEPRIVED RATS

This research investigated the effects of Ro 15-4513 (Ro 15), a partial inverse benzodiazepine agonist, on the drinking behavior of 23-1/2 hr fluid deprived rats. Water-deprived rats were maintained on a two-bottle regimen of a saccharin-ETOH solution along with tap water available for 30 min/day for several days. Following this acclimation period, animals were pretreated with either Ro 15 (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg) or Tween-80 vehicle injections. Pretreatment with Ro 15 at all doses tested resulted in a significant reduction of the saccharin-ETOH solution; however, Ro 15 did not alter the rats' consumption of water. The effects of Ro 15 on general fluid consumption was investigated in Experiment 2. Following acclimation to a two-bottle regimen of a saccharin-solution and tap water 30 min/day, naive animals were pretreated with Tween-80 vehicle or Ro 15 injections. Ro 15 failed to alter saccharin or water consumption. The results of this study support previous reports suggesting that Ro 15 attenuates the oral consumption of ETOH; however, this effect does not appear to be due to a general suppression of fluid intake.