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Effect of calcium-channel blockers on alcohol consumption in alcohol-drinking monkeys
A H Rezvani1, D R Grady, D S Janowsky
1Skipper Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill 27599.
Abstract:
Experiments were performed to determine the effect of the calcium-channel blockers verapamil and diltiazem on ethanol preference in monkeys. Two days of administration of 10 mg/kg verapamil but not diltiazem or saline significantly decreased ethanol intake in all monkeys tested. Chronic treatment with verapamil, but not saline, dose-dependently attenuated alcohol intake, without significantly influencing water intake. These findings suggest that verapamil exerts an inhibitory action on ethanol preference in chronically alcohol-drinking monkeys, possibly by interfering with Ca(2+)-channels and/or by interacting with the activity of certain central neurotransmitters.