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Investigation of Extracellular L-Citrulline Concentration in the Striatum During Alcohol Withdrawal in Rats

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Abstract

In this study, changes in striatal extracellular L-citrulline concentrations were investigated hourly for 5 h following alcohol withdrawal in chronic alcohol feeding Wistar rats. Alcohol (7.2% ethyl alcohol, v/v) was given to rats as modified liquid diet for 20 days. Signs of alcohol withdrawal appeared from the 1st h of alcohol withdrawal and the total alcohol withdrawal scores remained higher during the course of experiments. The mean of basal levels of L-citrulline in the microdialysis samples collected in conscious rat model from the striatum of control and alcoholized rats were found to be 1.28 ± 0.48 μM and 0.35 ± 0.08 μM, respectively. L-citrulline levels in the striatum of alcoholized rats increased by 4 folds significantly within 1 h following alcohol withdrawal. The increased striatal L-citrulline concentration was blocked by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 60 mg/kg), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, pretreatment. Our results indicate an increased L-citrulline level in the rat striatum during early alcohol withdrawal and this situation may be related to an increased nitric oxide production.

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  1. M. Z. Gören

    Present address: Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Marmara University, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Pharmacology, Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara

    M. Z. Gören & I. T. Uzbay

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Marmara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul

    F. Aricioglu-Kartal

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology, Marmara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul

    T. Yurdun

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Gören, M.Z., Aricioglu-Kartal, F., Yurdun, T. et al. Investigation of Extracellular L-Citrulline Concentration in the Striatum During Alcohol Withdrawal in Rats. Neurochem Res 26, 1327–1333 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014253618835

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