DEOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE (DOCA)-INDUCED SODIUM APPETITE IN GROUP-HOUSED MICE

Research investigating sodium hunger in mice has failed to produce evi dence that mineralocorticoids are involved in sodium appetite. In our own laboratory, doses of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) ranging fr om 1 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg have failed to induce a sodium appetite. In rat s, glucocorticoids have been effective in potentiating mineralocortico id-induced sodium appetite. Recent research has suggested that the mou se, like the rat, does possess mineralocorticoid sensitivity for sodiu m hunger but, unlike the rat, has a strong dependency on an accompanyi ng glucocorticoid action. The present experiment was conducted to stud y the effects of DOCA on sodium appetite in mice under housing conditi ons that attempted to eliminate the reduction of corticosterone associ ated with social isolation. Therefore, male GHSC mice were group-house d and were tested within two counterbalanced treatment conditions. One condition consisted of an injection of 10 mg/kg DOCA on 2 consecutive days, and the other condition consisted of an injection of the vehicl e on 2 consecutive days. Group-housed male GHSC mice showed a signific antly larger amount of NaCl consumption after injections of DOCA than after injections of the vehicle. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science I nc.