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Neonatal ethanol exposure produces a hyperalgesia that extends into adolescence, and is associated with increased analgesic and rewarding properties of nicotine in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Drug exposure during CNS development may alter subsequent dependence liability. We postulated that early alcohol exposure might produce persistent alterations in responses to noxious stimuli. Because relief of physical discomfort may be negatively reinforcing, changes in responses to noxious stimuli produced by early alcohol exposure may increase the rewarding properties of nicotine, a potent analgesic. Such factors may contribute to the high level of alcohol and nicotine co-abuse in humans.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to determine whether neonatal ethanol exposure in rats altered responses to noxious stimuli, and whether nicotine would then be more rewarding to the alcohol-exposed offspring, perhaps via its analgesic actions.

Methods

Neonatal rats received ethanol by gavage (5.0 or 6.5 g/kg) on postnatal days (PND) 9–13. An iso-caloric control group was also included. Rats were then tested to assess responsiveness to a mild noxious heat stimulus, as measured in the tail-flick assay (PND 14 and PND 28), for their response to acute analgesic injections of either nicotine or ethanol (PND 28), and for nicotine induced conditioned place preference (CPP) (PND 36).

Results

Neonatal ethanol exposure produced hyperalgesia during the first 24 h after alcohol withdrawal (PND 14) that continued through PND 28. The analgesic effects of 12.5 μg/kg nicotine were enhanced approximately 2-fold in adolescent rats with previous ethanol histories, relative to controls. These ethanol-exposed rats also showed a significant CPP to nicotine, whereas controls showed no CPP.

Conclusions

Persistent decreases in tail-flick response latencies suggestive of hyperalgesia were observed following neonatal ethanol exposure in the rat. These changes were accompanied by increases in the analgesic and place-conditioning effects of nicotine in adolescence. If similar effects occur in humans, prenatal alcohol exposure may play a role in an increased risk for the rewarding effects and dependence liability of nicotine later in life.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. Michael Bardo for his assistance in the design and execution of this study and Dr. Kurt Hauser for loan of equipment. We also thank the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center (KTRDC) for its continued support. KTRDC is an administrative unit of the University of Kentucky, and is not associated with the tobacco industry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, Cooper and University Drives, Lexington, KY, 40506-0236, USA

    Dennis T. Rogers & John M. Littleton

  2. Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., USA

    John M. Littleton

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Susan Barron

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  1. Dennis T. Rogers
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  2. Susan Barron
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  3. John M. Littleton
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Correspondence to Dennis T. Rogers.

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Rogers, D.T., Barron, S. & Littleton, J.M. Neonatal ethanol exposure produces a hyperalgesia that extends into adolescence, and is associated with increased analgesic and rewarding properties of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 171, 204–211 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1574-z

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