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-t etrahydroisoquinoline (salsolinol) might be bivalved in the etiology of alc oholism, 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 d emonstrated significantly lower striatal and adrenal salsolinol content whe n compared with the alcohol-non-preferring (NP) and the low-alcohol-drinkin g (LAD) lines. In the P-lille of rats, 4 weeks of free-choice alcohol drink ing had no significant effect on striatal salsolinol levels, although adren al levels of salsolinol were significantly higher: The salsolinol assayed i n the striatum of all lines of rats occurred as a racemic mixture of enanti omers that was unchanged following 4 weeks of alcohol explosive. Unlike str iatal tissue, the adrenals of alcohol naive P-rats contained significantly More S- than R-salsolinol (ratio S/R = 83/17) and alcohol consumption resul ted in the formation of a nearly racemic mixture of enantiomers. These resu lts suggest a role for genetic factors in the formation of endogenous salso linol and its potential regulation by short-term alcohol intake.