QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL-DEPENDENCE ON TERTIARY BUTANOL AND ETHANOL IN MICE - CORRELATION WITH LIPID SOLUBILITY

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 208  (1) , 113-117
Abstract
Mice were made physically dependent on t-butanol and the withdrawal reaction was compared quantitatively with that produced by ethanol. The mice inhaled t-butanol vapor (50-140 .mu.mol/l of air) continuously for 1, 3, 6 or 9 days. Daily t-butanol blood levels were determined by gas chromatography, using ethanol as internal standard. After t-butanol exposure the mice were removed from the vapor chamber and the withdrawal reaction was quantitated by hourly scoring of convulsions elicited by handling. The peak of withdrawal reaction occurred 3-5 h after the mice were removed from the t-butanol vapor. The intensity of the withdrawal reaction increased with the duration of inhalation and with the t-butanol blood levels maintained during the intoxication period. The withdrawal syndrome was qualitatively similar to that produced by ethanol. Quantitatively, t-butanol was 4-5 times more potent than ethanol in producing physical dependence. Since t-butanol is about 4-5 times more lipid soluble than ethanol, the data are consistent with a cell membrane site for alcohols in producing physical dependence.

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