Abstract
To determine genetic differences in ethanol consumption, 15 commonly used inbred strains of mice were given ad libitum two-bottle choice between ethanol, 0.2% saccharin, or ethanol plus saccharin in one bottle versus tap water in the other bottle. Three different concentrations of ethanol were used: 3%, 6% and 10% (v/v). Of the 15 strains, the C57BL/6J, C57BR/cdJ and C57L/J strains showed the most consistent higher intake of ethanol either with or without 0.2% saccharin. In marked contrast, the DBA/1J and DBA/2J strains consistently showed the lowest intake. Consumption of 3% ethanol without saccharin was highly genetically correlated with saccharin consumption (r=0.77), suggesting that low concentrations of ethanol may have a sweet taste that affects voluntary consumption. Most strains showed very different patterns of response to ethanol with or without saccharin. Three patterns of strain responses were identified. Some strains avoided higher concentrations of ethanol whether in water or saccharin; some appeared to be sensitive to the ability of saccharin to mask the odor of ethanol; and some may have reduced consumption only when ethanol concentrations were high enough to produce aversive postingestional effects. Whereas earlier studies generally attempted to explain strain differences in consumption by invoking a single mechanism, our results demonstrate that more than one mechanism is necessary to explain the preferential ethanol intake of all strains studied.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Belknap JK, Deutsch CK (1982) Differential neurosensitivity to three alcohols and phenobarbital in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Behav Genet 12:309–317
Belknap JK, Belknap ND, Berg J, Coleman RR (1977) Preabsorptive vs. postabsorptive control of ethanol intake in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Behav Genet 7:413–425
Belknap JK, Coleman RR, Foster K (1978) Alcohol consumption and sensory threshold differences between C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Physiol Psychol 6:71–74
Belknap JK, Crabbe JC, Plomin R, McClearn GE, Sampson KE, O'Toole LA, Gora-Maslak G (1992) Single locus control of saccharin intake in BXD/Ty recombinant inbred mice: some methodological implications for RI strain analysis. Behav Genet 22:81–100
Crabbe JC, Belknap JK (1992) Genetic approaches to drug dependence. TIPS 13:212–219
Crabbe JC, Janowsky JS, Young ER, Kosobud A, Stack J, Rigter H (1982) Tolerance to ethanol hypothermia in inbred mice: genotypic correlations with behavioral responses Alcohol Clin Exp Res 6:446–458
Crabbe JC, Phillips TJ, Kosobud A, Belknap JK (1990) Estimation of genetic correlation: interpretation of experiments using selectively bred and inbred animals. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 14:141–151
Falconer DS (1981) Introduction to quantitative genetics, 3rd edition, Longmans, London
Festing MFW (1989) Inbred strains of mice. In: Lyon MF, Searle AG (eds) Genetic variants and strains of the laboratory mouse. Oxford Press, Oxford, pp 636–648
Fuller JL (1964) Measurement of alcohol preference in genetic experiments. J Comp Physiol Psychol 57:85–88
Fuller JL (1974) Single locus control of saccharin preference in mice. J Hered 65:33–36
Gentry RT (1985) Voluntary consumption of ethanol and its consequences in C57 mice treated with 4-methylpyrazole. Alcohol 2:671–675
Gentry RT, Dole VP (1987) Why does a sucrose choice reduce the consumption of alcohol in C57BL/6J mice? Life Sci 40:2191–2194
Gora-Maslak G, McClearn GE, Crabbe JC, Phillips TJ, Belknap JK, Plomin R (1991) Use of recombinant inbred strains to identify quantitative trait loci in pharmacogenetic research. Psychopharmacology 104:413–424
Gosnell BA, Krahn DD (1992) The relationship between saccharin and alcohol intake in rats. Alcohol 9:203–206
Kampov-Polevoy AB, Kasheffskaya OP, Sinclair JD (1990) Initial acceptance of ethanol: gustatory factors and patterns of alcohol drinking. Alcohol 7:83–86
Kiefer SW, Bice PJ, Orr MR, Dopp JM (1990) Similarity of taste reactivity responses to alcohol and sucrose mixtures in rats. Alcohol 7:115–120
Lush I (1981) Differences between mouse strains in their consumption of phenylthiourea (PTC). Heredity 57:319–323
Lush I (1984) The genetics of tasting in mice. III. Quinine. Genet Res 44:151–160
Lush I (1989) The genetics of tasting in mice. VI. Saccharin, acesulfame, dulcin and sucrose. Genet Res 53:95–99
Lush I, Holland G (1988) The genetics of tasting in mice. V. Glycine and cycloheximide. Genet Res 52:207–212
McClearn GE (1968) Genetics and motivation in the mouse. In: Arnold WJ (ed) Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, Lincoln, NE, pp 47–83
Nachman M, LaRue C, LeMagnen J (1971) The role of olfactory and orosensory factors in the alcohol preference of inbred strains of mice. Physiol Behav 6:53–59
Overstreet DH, Kampov-Polevoy AB, Rezvani AH, Lenn M, Halikas JA, Janowsky DS (1993) Saccharin intake predicts ethanol intake in genetically heterogeneous rats as well as different rat strains. Alcohol: Clin Exp Res (in press)
Phillips TJ, Crabbe JC (1991) Behavioral studies of genetic differences in alcohol action. In: Crabbe JC, Harris RA (eds) The genetic basis of alcohol and drug actions. Plenum, NY, pp 25–104
Richter CP (1941) Alcohol as food. Q J Stud Alcohol 1:650–662
Rodgers DA (1972) Factors underlying differences in alcohol preference in inbred strains of mice. In: Kissin B, Begleiter H (eds) The biology of alcoholism. Plenum, NY, pp 107–130
Rodgers D, McClearn GE, Bennett E, Hebert M (1963) Alcohol preference as a function of its caloric utility in mice. J Comp Physiol Psychol 56:666–672
Schlesinger K (1966) Genetic and biochemical correlates of alcohol preference in mice. Am J Psychiatry 122:767–773
Schlesinger K, Kakihana R, Bennett E (1966) Effects of tetraethylthiuramdisulfide (Antabuse) on the metabolism and consumption of ethanol in mice. Psychosom Med 28:514–520
Schneider CW, Evans SK, Chenoweth M, Beman F (1973) Ethanol preference and behavioral tolerance in mice. J Comp Physiol Psychol 82:466–474
Sheppard JR, Albersheim P, McClearn GE (1970) Aldehyde dehydrogenase and ethanol preference in mice. J Biol Chem 245:2875–2882
Thiessen DD, Whitworth N, Rodgers D (1967) Reproductive functions and metabolic capacity as determinants of alcohol preference in C57BL female mice. J Comp Physiol Psychol 63:151–154
Whitney G (1972) Relationships between alcohol preference and other behaviors in laboratory mice. In: Forsander O, Eriksson K (eds) Biological aspects of alcohol consumption. Finn Fdn Alc Studies, Helsinki, pp 151–162
Wilkinson L (1990) Systat: the system for statistics. Systat, Evanston, IL
Wilson CWM (1972) The limiting factors in alcohol consumption. In: Forsander O, Eriksson K (eds) Biological aspects of alcohol consumption. Finn Fdn Alc Studies, Helsinki, pp 207–215
Yoshimoto K, Komura S (1987) Reexamination of the relationship between alcohol preference and brain monoamines in inbred strains of mice including senescence-accelerated mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 27:317–322
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Belknap, J.K., Crabbe, J.C. & Young, E.R. Voluntary consumption of ethanol in 15 inbred mouse strains. Psychopharmacology 112, 503–510 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244901
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244901