EFFECTS OF ETHANOL ON BRAIN MONOAMINE CONTENT OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS (SHR)

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were administered either 2.4 g/k g ethanol or an isocaloric glucose daily for 4 weeks and the levels of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT ) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in different brain regions w ere determined. Results indicated a 3-fold increase in NE level in bra in stem and hypothalamus and more than 2-fold increase in DA in corpus striatum in alcohol-treated rats as compared to controls. There was a significant increase in the level of DA in the corpus striatum but th e levels in cerebral cortex, brain stem and hippocampus were decreased instead. Decreases in 5-HT levels were found in hypothalamus, brain s tem, cortex and cerebellum of alcohol-treated brain as compared to unt reated controls. These results indicate alterations of the biogenic am ine contents in different regions of the SHR brain after chronic ethan ol ingestion. Since stimulated release of biogenic amines in the SHR b rain has been implicated in the regulation of blood pressure, changes due to ethanol ingestion may be a risk factor in hypertensive patients .