Diethanolamine: A possible weak agonist-antagonist to ethanol

Abstract

Diethanolamine-rutin (DR) and dimethoxyethylamine-rutin (DMR) were studied for their effects on ethanol-induced sleep time in mice. The DR-ethanol curve was shifted to the right of the saline-ethanol curve indicating a DR protection against ethanol-induced sleep. Blood- or brain-ethanol levels were approximately equal for both treatment conditions suggesting that DR's protective action was not due to a lower blood- or brain-ethanol level. In contrast, the DMR-ethanol curve was shifted to the left of the saline-ethanol curve indicating an enhancement of ethanol-induced sleep time. This action of DMR is probably not due to an effect on ethanol metabolism, since no significant difference was found in blood- or brain-ethanol levels in this group relative to the saline-ethanol mice. Attempts to demonstrate antidotal activity for DR were unsuccessful in that treatment of mice with DR after ethanol administration prolonged sleep time. The findings of this study suggest that diethanolamine acts a weak agonist-antagonist to ethanol in the CNS.