Characteristics of alcohol-preferring behavior in FH/Wjd rats

AIM To investigate the characteristics of alcohol-preferring behavior in FH/Wjd rats. METHODS Two-bottle free choice test (5% or 10% ethanol and tap water) was employed to determine the ethanol intake, water intake and ethanol preference, through which the day-night difference of ethanol drinking in FH/Wjd rats was explored. In ethanol deprivation experiment, the effects of 24 h deprivation on ethanol intake and preference in FH/Wjd rats were measured. The operant ethanol self-administration of FH/Wjd rats was observed under fixed ratio ( FR1 ) procedure. RESULTS In two-bottle test, the daily ethanol intake, water intake, and ethanol preference of FH/Wjd rats were ( 4. 3 ± 0. 2 )·g-1kg-·-d-1, (20.1 ±2.3) g·kg-1·d-1, and (82. 9 ±2. 0)%, respectively in 5% ethanol group and (6.4 ± 0.2)g·kg-1 ·d-1, (37.2 ± 2. 7) g · kg-1· d-1 and (69. 2 ± 2. 0)%, respectively in 10% ethanol group. It demonstrated the ethanol and water intake of FH/Wjd rats in 10% ethanol group was more, but the ethanol preference of them was lower than those in 5% ethanol group. The ethanol intake and preference of FH/Wjd rats in night were higher than that in day. There was no day-night differ-ence in water intake. Ethanol deprivation for 24 h produced a significant increase in ethanol intake and ethanol preference in the first hour and 24 h of re-access in FH/Wjd rats. They also substantially increased their ethanol preference in the first hour but not 24 h of re-exposed to ethanol. After 13 training days, the preference of operant ethanol self-administration of FH/ Wjd rats was 49% -64% during 3 test days, which demonstrated that ethanol seeking behavior was successfully established in FH/Wjd rats. CONCLUSION FH/Wjd rats which showed high ethanol intake and preference, robust ethanol deprivation effect, and could develop operant ethanol self-administration behavior in short time, can be used as a genetic animal model of alcoholism.