The quantitative determination of R- and S-salsolinol in the striatum and adrenal gland of rats selectively bred for disparate alcohol drinking

To explore the hypothesis that endogenous 1-methyl-6, 7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (salsolinol) might be bivalved in the etiology of alcoholism, its concentration was determined in the striatum and adrenal gland of rats bred selectively for disparate alcohol drinking. The alcohol-naive alcohol-preferring (P) and the high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) lines of rats demonstrated significantly lower striatal and adrenal salsolinol content when compared with the alcohol-non-preferring (NP) and the low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) lines. In the P-lille of rats, 4 weeks of free-choice alcohol drinking had no significant effect on striatal salsolinol levels, although adrenal levels of salsolinol were significantly higher: The salsolinol assayed in the striatum of all lines of rats occurred as a racemic mixture of enantiomers that was unchanged following 4 weeks of alcohol explosive. Unlike striatal tissue, the adrenals of alcohol naive P-rats contained significantly More S- than R-salsolinol (ratio S/R = 83/17) and alcohol consumption resulted in the formation of a nearly racemic mixture of enantiomers. These results suggest a role for genetic factors in the formation of endogenous salsolinol and its potential regulation by short-term alcohol intake.