Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

A Method for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Ethanol in Rats without Water Deprivation, Saccharin Fading or Extended Access Training
Published on: January 29, 2017
A pharmacological dose of estradiol can enhance appetites for alcoholic beverages
Meta L Reid1, Christopher L Hubbell, Larry D Reid
1Laboratory for Psychopharmacology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Room 302, Carnegie Hall, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA. reidl@rpi.edu
Abstract:
Each of 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 2 mg of estradiol valerate (EV), 30 others were given placebos. EV is a preparation that delivers estradiol for more than 12 days, but probably less than 20. Fifteen days later, the females had the opportunity to take sweetened alcoholic beverage 24 h a day across 25 days. Subsequently, they could self-administer other alcoholic beverages, including one of only alcohol and water. After a period of abstinence, rats had another opportunity to take sweetened alcoholic beverage (94 to 96 days after the single injection of EV). With every measurement, rats given EV consumed significantly more ethanol than controls. For example, mean of measurements representing daily intake for the fourth week of availability of palatable alcoholic beverage for placebo-treated=5.29 grams of ethanol per kilogram of bodyweight (g'E/kg); for EV-treated=8.13 g'E/kg; P=.003. The data support the conclusion that pharmacological doses of estradiol can induce marked, enduring changes in appetite for alcoholic beverages.
More Related Videos
07:31Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
08:45Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis
Published on: November 8, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Dose-Response Relationship: Overview
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Dose to Pharmacological Effect
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Intensity of Dose-Effect Relationship