A psychopharmacological study of the relationship between brain catalase activity and ethanol-induced locomotor activity in mice

Objective: The present experiments analyze the effects of the brain catalas e inhibitor 3-amino-1.2.4-triazole (AT) on the locomotor activity induced b y ethanol. Method: In the first experiment, mice received injections of eit her AT (0.5 g/kg) or saline (S) 5 hours prior to an ethanol injection (0, 0 .8. 1.6, 2.4, 3.2 or 4 g/kg). In the second experiment, five different grou ps of mice received injections of AT (0, 0.010, 0.030, 0.060, 0.125, 0.250 or 0.500 g/kg) 5 hours prior to being injected with 1.6 g/kg of ethanol. In the third experiment, six groups of mice were treated with AT (0.5 g/kg), simultaneously, 2.5, 5. 10 or 20 hours before the administration of 1.6 g/k g of ethanol. immediately after ethanol injection, mice were placed individ ually in the open-field apparatus for 20 minutes. In another set of experim ents. the effects of AT on brain catalase activity were studied. Animals we re injected with AT at 0, 0.010, 0.030, 0.060. 0.125, 0.250 or 0.500 g/kg, and 5. 10 or 20 hours following AT treatment mice were perfused and the bra in was removed. Results: Pretreating mice with AT reduces ethanol-induced l ocomotor activity (1.6, 2.4 and 3.2 g/kg) without altering spontaneous loco motion. Pretreatment with AT (from 0.125 g/kg to 0.5 g/kg) produced a clear dose-dependent decrease of ethanol locomotion and brain catalase activity. The effect of AT was observed 5 and 10 hours after the injection of this d rug, and it disappeared 20 hours following AT treatment. Conclusions: Curre nt data showed a parallel property of AT in producing a remarkable dose- an d time-dependent decrease in catalase activity and ethanol locomotion.