455
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Increased alcohol preference and intake in nicotine-preferring rats

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 408-420 | Received 01 Jun 2019, Accepted 17 Nov 2019, Published online: 20 Dec 2019
 

ABSTRACT

Background

Alcohol and tobacco are among the leading substances that are misused together and shared genetic vulnerability is likely. Increased susceptibility to nicotine self-administration has been shown in alcohol-preferring rat-lines. However, a nicotine-preferring (nP) rat-line has not been studied for alcohol preference.

Objectives

To evaluate alcohol preference and intake in male and female nP rats. We hypothesized that nP rats and females would drink more ethanol than control rats and males, respectively.

Methods

nP rats are being selectively outbred for high oral nicotine intake at Ege University. Seventeen nP (18th generation) and 20 naïve female and male SD rats, not previously exposed to alcohol or nicotine, were used. Twelve-week-old rats were given intermittent access to 20% ethanol in a 2-bottle-choice-procedure for six weeks. After one week withdrawal, six weeks of oral nicotine self-administration was applied.

Results

nP rats drank significantly more ethanol than controls and their preference for ethanol over water was higher. Female rats’ ethanol intake was higher than males’. The nP rats’ nicotine preference and intake were higher than controls, and they gained less weight.

Conclusion

We have shown for the first time that nP rats also have high alcohol intake. Our results support the hypothesis that shared genetic factors may underlie concurrent addiction to nicotine and alcohol and have translational value in understanding their misuse. Considering the increased vulnerability for alcohol use disorder in smokers and sex differences observed, early preventive measures in families with a history of tobacco addiction, specifically targeting female members, could have public health benefits.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Derya Kalkan (Undergraduate student in Medical School, Ege University) for excellent technical assistance.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no relevant disclosures.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ege University Research Fund, Number: 17 TIP 071.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 987.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.