Ethanol and benzodiazepines. The influence of CGS 8216 on the ethanol-induced hypothermia and motor incoordination in mice and rats

Ethanol has pharmacological profile very similar to benzodiazepines which facilitate GABA-ergic neurotransmission. In addition, a lot of ethanol-induced effects are partially antagonized by Ro 15-4513, a benzodiazepine inverse agonist. In our study, the influence of CGS 8216, another benzodiazepine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society Vol. 46; no. 4; p. 429
Main Authors Fidecka, S, Langwínski, R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Poland 01.12.1995
Subjects
Animals
Benzodiazepines - pharmacology
Body Temperature - drug effects
Central Nervous System Depressants - pharmacology
Drug Interactions
Ethanol - pharmacology
GABA Agonists - pharmacology
GABA Antagonists - pharmacology
Hypothermia, Induced
Male
Mice
Postural Balance - drug effects
Pyrazoles - pharmacology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Reflex - drug effects
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Summary:Ethanol has pharmacological profile very similar to benzodiazepines which facilitate GABA-ergic neurotransmission. In addition, a lot of ethanol-induced effects are partially antagonized by Ro 15-4513, a benzodiazepine inverse agonist. In our study, the influence of CGS 8216, another benzodiazepine inverse agonist, on the hypothermic (3.5 g/kg in mice, 3.0 g/kg in rats) and disturbing the motor coordination (3.2 g/kg in mice, 2.5 g/kg in rats, aerial righting reflex) effects of ethanol was investigated. The hypothermic effects of ethanol were antagonized in mice, and significantly attenuated in rats by CGS 8216 (10 and 20 mg/kg). Ethanol-induced motor incoordination was significantly diminished by 10 and 20 mg/kg of CGS 8216 in mice but not in rats. These data suggest that some effects of ethanol may result from the intensification of benzodiazepine/GABA-ergic activity. In addition, they let us presume that the activity of CGS 8216 is connected with a benzodiazepine receptor named BZ-1 or omega 1. The results indicate the need of further work on the benzodiazepine inverse agonists for use in treatment of ethanol poisoning.
ISSN:0867-5910