The Effect of Chronic Poisoning with Carbon Tetrachloride on Voluntary Consumption of Ethanol by Mice

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Abstract
Mice were chronically poisoned with carbon tetrachloride injected twice weekly, i.p. in doses of 0.05-0.80 mg/g over 10-16 wk. The poisoned animals, as compared to vehicle-injected controls, showed marginally significant increases in voluntary consumption of ethanol in a 3 bottle choice (water, 10% and 20% ethanol continuously available), but not to a degree that could be considered alcoholic. The average daily intakes of ethanol remained within the range of variation for normal animals of this strain; there was no consistent shift in preference from 10-20% ethanol, and the distribution of drinking times within the 24 h cycle remained normal. The relevance of these findings to the clinical problem of alcoholism is that the appetite for alcohol, a potential hepatotoxin, persists despite serious damage to the liver.