Chronic alcoholism influences the mRNA level of the orexin receptor type 1 (OX1R) in emotiogenic structures of the rat brain

Orexin and its receptors were shown to be involved into mechanisms of pathological craving to alcohol. This paper demonstrates that the orexin receptor type 1 (OX1R) mRNA level significantly decreased in the prefrontal cortex of rats chronically (during 6 months) consuming ethanol compared with intact control. The same results were observed on day 1 and day 7 of alcohol withdrawal after chronic alcoholization. On the contrary, in the hippocampus, the OX1R mRNA level increased on day 1 and day 7 of alcohol withdrawal. In the ventral tegmental area, the OX1R mRNA level did not change on the day 1 and day 7 of alcohol withdrawal compared with the groups of chronic alcoholization and intact control. These findings point out involvement of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus first of all in mechanisms mediating chronic alcohol intoxication. The ventral tegmental area is described as a typical dopaminergic structure providing the executive mechanism of emotion reactions connected with alcohol abuse in particular. It is possibe, that the modulating action of orexins on dopaminergic neurons in this structure does not provide a significant effect on control of emotion reactions in alcoholism.

Disorders in structural-functional properties of erythrocytes in experimental acute destructive pancreatitis of alcohol etiology and their correction

The effects of various combinations of pharmacological agents on parameters characterizing red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins and lipids have been investigated in RBC isolated from Wistar male rats with acute destructive pancreatitis induced under conditions of forced alcoholization for 60 days. Administration of a combination of Hepon, Hypoxenum, and Phosphogliv normalized 22.5% of parameters altered change during development of acute destructive pancreatitis under conditions of chronic alcoholization of parameters, corrected towards normal values 42.5% of parameters (35% of parameters remained unchanged). Administration of Glutoxim, Mexidol and Heptral, was more effective: this combination normalized 50.0% of parameters studied, corrected towards normal values 37.5% of parameters, leaving unchanged only 12.5% of parameters studied.

Effect of mother alcoholization on the activity of ghrelin system in prenatal and early postnatal periods of rat offspring

The purpose of the paper was to study both the desacylghrelin (unacylated ghrelin) level in the blood serum and expression of mRNA ghrelin receptor in the brain structures in ontogeny after chronic alcoholization in rats. The results proved that the prenatal effect of ethanol negatively affected the maturation of dopaminergic and ghrelin systems of the brain as well as involvement of ghrelin system in mechanisms of alcohol dependence formation. The decrease of COMT mRNA expression simultaneoully with the increase of expression of D2 long and short isoforms of dopaminergic receptors and misbalance of ghrelin system were observed. Alcoholization of mothers reduced desacylghrelin level in the blood serum in early postnatal period in offsprings although mRNA expression of ghrelin receptor in the brain was elevated. Chronic alcoholization of adult rats also affected the ghrelin system. In the alcoholiztion process, the reduced contents of desacylghrelin in the blood serum with compensatory increase of ghrelin receptor expression in the brain were registered. After withdrawal of ethanol, the recovery of desacylghrelin level (tendency to normalization) was observed.