Abstract
Acetaldehyde, the first product of ethanol metabolism, has been suggested to play a major role in many behavioral effects of ethanol. However, very few studies have directly tested the behavioral effects of the acute administration of acetaldehyde. In particular, the role of this metabolite in ethanol-induced anxiolytic effects has never been extensively tested. The aim of the present study was to characterize the anxiolytic effects of acetaldehyde in two strains of mice, C57BL/6J and CD1 mice with the elevated plus-maze procedure. The results show that acute injections of ethanol (1–2 g/kg) induced significant dose-dependent anxiolytic effects in both strains of mice. In contrast, acetaldehyde failed to produce any anxiolytic effect, although it induced a significant hypolocomotor effect at the highest doses. In an independent experiment, cyanamide, an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor, prevented the locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol, although it failed to alter its anxiolytic effects. Together, the results of the present study indicate that acetaldehyde is not involved in ethanol-induced anxiolytic effects, although it may be involved in its sedative/hypolocomotor effects.
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