Mineral intake independent from gastric irritation or pica by cell-dehydrated rats

• Published in: Physiology & behavior 2011-10, Vol.104 (5), p.659-665
• Main Authors: Constancio, Juliana, Pereira-Derderian, Daniela T.B, Menani, José V, De Luca, Laurival A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acetic acid; Acetic Acid - administration & dosage; aluminum hydroxide; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; calcium chloride; Choice Behavior - physiology; Dehydration; Dehydration - complications; Drinking - drug effects; Drinking - physiology; Drinking Behavior - drug effects; Drinking Behavior - physiology; ethanol; Ethanol - administration & dosage; Food Preferences - drug effects; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastric Lavage - methods; Gastric mucosa; Gastric Mucosa - drug effects; Gastric Mucosa - pathology; Gastritis - etiology; Gastritis - pathology; kaolin; Male; Mineral lick; Mineral Waters; Pica - etiology; potassium chloride; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Saline Solution, Hypertonic - administration & dosage; Self-medication; sodium; Sodium appetite; sodium bicarbonate; Sodium Bicarbonate - administration & dosage; sodium chloride; Sodium Chloride - administration & dosage; Sodium Chloride - metabolism; stomach; Thirst
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.010

Abstract Gavage of 2 M NaCl (IG 2 M NaCl), a procedure to induce cell-dehydration—and water and 0.15 M NaCl intake in a two-bottle choice test—is also a potential gastric irritant. In this study, we assessed whether mineral intake induced by IG 2 M NaCl is associated with gastric irritation or production of pica in the rat. We first determined the amount of mineral solution (0.15 M NaCl, 0.15 M NaHCO3 , 0.01 M KCl and 0.05 mM CaCl2 ) and water ingested in response to IG 2 M NaCl in a five-bottle test. Then, we used mineral solutions (0.01 M KCl and 0.15 M NaHCO3 ), whose intakes were significantly increased compared to controls, and water in three-bottle tests to test the gastric irritation hypothesis. The IG 2 M NaCl induced KCl and NaHCO3 intake that was not inhibited by gavage with gastric protectors Al(OH)3 or NaHCO3 . IG 2 M NaCl or gavage of 0.6 N acetic acid induced mild irritation, hyperemia, of the glandular part of the stomach. A gavage of 50% ethanol induced strong irritation seen as pinpoint ulcerations. Neither ethanol nor acetic acid induced any fluid intake. Neither IG 2 M NaCl nor acetic acid induced kaolin intake, a marker of pica in laboratory rats. Ethanol did induce kaolin intake. These results suggest that IG 2 M NaCl induced a mineral fluid intake not selective for sodium and independent from gastric irritation or pica.