[Alcohol consumption and anti-alcohol effect of afobazol in MR and NMRA rats]

Dynamics of the alcohol intake variation in MR and MNRA inbred rats with different emotional-stress reaction (ESR) phenotypes was studied in the course of a 7-month voluntary alcoholization. Initially, the MNRA rats with an active ESR phenotype showed a higher level of a 15% aqueous ethanol consumption than did the MR rats. After 3 months, the consumption of ethanol in the highly emotional MR rats sharply increased and was retained on a high level during subsequent alcoholization. The new anxiolytic agent afobazol [5-ethoxy-2(morpholinoethylthio)-benzimidazole hydrochliride] did not potentiate the CNS depressant action of alcohol. A 2-week administration of afobazol (1 mg/kg, i.p.) after a 6-month alcoholization markedly reduced the alcohol consumption and reduced the craving to alcohol in the rats of both lines studied.