Spontaneous preference for ethanol in naive rats is influenced by cholecystokinin(A) receptor antagonism

Naive adult male Wistar rats free to choose between water or 10% ethanol (v/v) spontaneously became water-preferring (WP) rats, as they drank mainly water (approximately 35 ml per day), or alcohol-drinking (ED) rats, as they also drank a significant amount of ethanol (approximately 14 ml per day). The selective CCKA receptor antagonist L-364,718 at doses selective for the CCKA receptor (5 mu g/kg, IP) halved the consumption of alcohol of the ED rats without modifiying their total liquid intake. In contrast, the CCKB antagonists L-365,260 or GV150013 were without effect when used at doses selective for the CCKB receptor. These data indicate that the CCK system could be involved in the modulation of alcohol intake. In particular, they suggest that CCKB receptors could play a role in the ethanol preference. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.