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Biomedical subjects

V G Erwin

Publications and source records attributed to V G Erwin.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Ethanol consumption and hepatic enzyme activity.

Enzyme activity and ethanol consumption were measured in an F2 generation derived from the C57BL and C3H inbred mouse strains. A significant correlation (0.25) was found between alcohol dehydrogenase activity and ethanol acceptance in the F2 generation. Mass selection from a genetically heterogenous mouse stock, HS/Ibg, has yielded high ethanol acceptance (HEA) and low ethanol acceptance (LEA) lines of mice. The mean ethanol acceptance scores for the fifth generation of these lines are 1.008 and 0.606, respectively. The total liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity was found to be 24% higher in the HEA line than in the LEA line after five generations of selective breeding. No association between cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and ethanol acceptance was found in either the F2 generation or the fifth generation of the selectively bred lines.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Effect of hypnotics on mice genetically selected for sensitivity to ethanol.

It was previously shown that the rate of disappearance of blood ethanol was identical for two lines of mice selectively bred for differences in sleep-time after ethanol administration. The ED50 values for the loss of righting response with ethanol were significantly different at 3.64 g per kg for the SS line and 1.65 g per kg for the LS line. In the present study the mean sleep time is 367 sec for SS mice and 9342 sec for LS mice. The ED50 values remain essentially the same as previously reported. Unchanged LD50 values for ethanol, however, are not different at 4.8 g per kg for the SS and 4.5 g per kg for the LS line of mice. The ED50 value for loss for righting response following administration of methanol, butanol and t-butanol is approximately 2 fold greater for the SS line of mice than for the LS line. The ED50 values for sodium pentobarbital or ether in the 2 lines of mice for loss of righting response are virtually identical. In addition, the sleep-time values obtained after the administration of pentobarbital, chloral hydrate, trichloroethanol and paraldehyde are not significantly different. These data indicate that while the SS and LS lines of mice differ in central nervous system sensitivity to ethanol, methanol, butanol and t-butanol it is implied that they do no differ in central nervous system sensitivity to other hypnotic agents tested. Proof of this latter suggestion awaits determination of metabolic rates, and brain levels of these other depressants.

Animals↗