Abstract
Three experiments investigated a possible effect of nitrous oxide (N 2O) on food intake in nondeprived male hooded rats in independent groups designs. Experiment 1 demonstrated a concentration-related increase in intake with increasing level of nitrous oxide (10–40% N 2O), reaching statistical significance at 20% N 20 when compared to room air controls ( p < 0.05). In experiment 2, pretreatment with 10 and 20 mg/kg of the benzodiazepine antagonist, fiumazenil, failed to significantly attenuate 30% N 2O-induced hyperphagia. In Experiment 3, pretreatment with the opioid antagonist, naltrexone, effectively antagonized 30% N 2O-induced hyperphagia. Pronounced attenuation (to 59% of 30% N 20-induced intake level over a 1 h period) at the lowest dose of naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg, p < 0.01) compared to vehicle level resulted in a shallow dose-response curve across the dose range tested (0.1–10.0 mg/kg). These results suggest that an endogenous opioid mechanism is prominently involved in the N 2O-induced ingestive response.
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