An evaluation of the role of ethanol clearance rate in the differential response of long-sleep and short-sleep mice to ethanol

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Ethanol (ETOH) clearance rates were determined in Long-Sleep (LS) and Short-Sleep (SS) mice, which were selectively bred for differential soporific response to ETOH. Determination of blood ethanol levels at 45 min intervals following administration of 3.8 g/kg IP indicated that SS mice clear ETOH at a faster rate. Repeatedly sampled mice of each line cleared ETOH more slowly than those where samples were taken only once. A second experiment utilized pairs of LS and SS mice matched on body weight. These were treated with one of several doses of ETOH, and duration of loss of the righting reflex measured for one member of the pair. Blood ETOH levels were determined in samples taken from both members of the pair when the tested member regained the righting reflex. LS mice had small but consistently higher blood ETOH levels in these pairs. The magnitude of the differences between the LS and SS mice in these experiments indicate that clearance rate differences can account for only a small portion of the differences in behavioral responses of these mice to ETOH.