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 -Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), -Butyrolactone (GBL), and 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD) in Different Rat Lines
a Divisions of Pediatric Pharmacology & Critical Care and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital/Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA b CNR Institute of Neuroscience, I-09126 Cagliari, Italy c Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, I-09126 Cagliari, Italy d Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115 USA
Key Words:  -hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) • -butyrolactone (GBL) • 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) • withdrawal syndrome • GABAB receptor-selective antagonist SCH 50911 • Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats • GHB-sensitive (GHB-S) rats
Address for correspondence: Lawrence S. Quang, M.D., Division of Pediatric Pharmacology & Critical Care, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106. Voice: 216-844-3310; fax: 216-844-5122. e-mail: lawrence.quang{at}case.edu
A severe and life-threatening
-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) withdrawal syndrome, clinically similar to the alcohol withdrawal syndrome, is increasingly being reported in GHB addicts. We investigated for the occurrence of withdrawal in Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats, and in the selectively bred lines of GHB-sensitive (GHB-S) and Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats, following chronic administration of GHB, -butyrolactone (GBL), and/or 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD). Using validated rodent alcohol withdrawal scoring scales, little to no spontaneous or pharmacologically precipitated withdrawal effects were observed in Wistar, Sprague-Dawley, or GHB-S rats. Conversely, sP rats displayed both spontaneous and precipitated audiogenic seizures following abrupt cessation of chronic GHB or 1,4-BD administration and following pharmacological challenge with the GABAB receptor-selective antagonist, SCH 50911, respectively.
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