Ro15-4513 attenuates the consumption of ethanol in deprived rats

This research investigated the effects of Ro15-4513 (Ro15), a partial inverse benzodiazepine agonist, on the drinking behavior of 23-1/2 hr fluid deprived rats. Water-deprived rats were maintained on a two-bottle regimen of a saccharin-ETOH solution along with tap water available for 30 min/day for several days. Following this acclimation period, animals were pretreated with either Ro15 (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg) or Tween-80 vehicle injections. Pretreatment with Ro15 at all doses tested resulted in a significant reduction of the saccharin-ETOH solution; however, Ro15 did not alter the rats' consumption of water. The effects of Ro15 on general fluid consumption was investigated in Experiment 2. Following acclimation to a two-bottle regimen of a saccharin-solution and tap water 30 min/day, naive animals were pretreated with Tween-80 vehicle or Ro15 injections. Ro15 failed to alter saccharin or water consumption. The results of this study support previous reports suggesting that Ro15 attenuates the oral consumption of ETOH; however, this effect does not appear to be due to a general suppression of fluid intake.