Stimulation of Tachykinin NK-3 Receptors in the Nucleus Basalis Magnocellularis Reduces Alcohol Intake in Rats

• Published in: Peptides (New York, N.Y. : 1980) N.Y. : 1980), 1997, Vol.18 (9), p.1349-1355
• Main Authors: Ciccocioppo, Roberto, Panocka, Izabela, Polidori, Caro, De Caro, Giuseppe, Regoli, Domenico, Massi, Maurizio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol intake; Alcohol-preferring rats; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Choice Behavior - drug effects; Indoles - pharmacology; Male; NK-1 receptor agonist; NK-3 receptor agonist; NK-3 receptor antagonist; Oligopeptides - pharmacology; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Rats; Receptors, Neurokinin-1 - agonists; Receptors, Neurokinin-3 - drug effects; Stimulation, Chemical; Substance P - analogs & derivatives; Substance P - pharmacology; Substantia Innominata - drug effects; Tachykinin
• ISSN: 0196-9781; 1873-5169
• DOI: 10.1016/S0196-9781(97)00189-7

Ciccocioppo, R., I. Panocka, C. Polidori, G. De Caro, D. Regoli and M. Massi. Stimulation of tachykinin NK-3 receptors in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis reduces alcohol intake in rats. Peptides 18(9) 1349–1355, 1997.—Injections in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) of the tachykinin (TK) NK-3 receptor agonist [Asp 5,6,MePhe 8]substance P(5–11), also referred to as amino-senktide (NH 2-SENK), markedly reduced alcohol intake in genetically selected alcohol-preferring rats, offered 10% ethanol 2 h/day. The threshold dose in the NBM was 0.5 ng/site, while neither 1 nor 10 ng/rat of NH 2-SENK inhibited alcohol intake following administration into the lateral ventricle. Injection of NH 2-SENK, 25 ng/site, in the NBM did not modify water or food intake in water deprived rats, providing evidence for the behavioral selectivity of the effect on ethanol intake. The selective TK NK-3 receptor antagonist, R-820, injected in the NBM at the dose of 1000 ng/site 5 min before NH 2-SENK 5 ng/site, significantly reduced the effect of NH 2-SENK. The selective TK NK-1 receptor agonist [Sar 9,Met(O 2) 11]substance P inhibited alcohol intake following injection in the NBM only at 25 ng/site; but the same dose induced marked grooming and inhibited also water intake in water deprived rats. The present results confirm that TK NK-3, but not NK-1, receptor agonists selectively inhibit ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring rats and suggest that the NBM is a site of action for their effect.