Ethanol preference, metabolism, blood pressure, and conditioned taste aversion in experimental cholestasis

The effect of a ligation of the common bile duct (BDL) on the chronic free-selection intake of ethanol was investigated. Rats were given a choice between water and a solution of either 6% (v/v) ethanol, 0.06% (w/v) sodium saccharin, or a mixture of both ethanol and saccharin. In different experiments, solutions were first presented either 3 weeks before surgery, about the time of surgery, or 2 weeks after surgery. Reductions in ethanol or saccharin intake were observed in BDL rats whenever the solutions were first presented either 3 weeks before or shortly after the surgery. No differences attributable to BDL were seen when ethanol solutions were first presented 2 weeks after surgery. The contingent nature of the effect suggests that the reduction results from a conditioned taste aversion rather than from differences in ethanol metabolism, sensitivity, or neurohormones such as angiotensin. The findings urge caution in the monitoring of the dietary habits of patients with a rapidly developing biliary obstruction.