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The effects of a 5-ht1a agonist
and antagonist and chlordiazepoxide on food intake in the rat. D. Shaw, Julian Leslie, Eugene O'Hare, Robert Adrian Shephard and Eun-Mee Kim University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Northern Ireland The 5-HT1a antagonist propranolol (PL), agonist buspirone (BUS), and benzodiazepine chlordiazepoxide (CDP) have similar effects in anxiety related behavioural procedures involving food reinforcement. The present study examined whether these drugs have similar effects on food intake under free-feeding conditions. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=12 per group) were injected with either PL (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16mg/kg), BUS (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8mg/kg, IP) or CDP (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16mg/kg, IP). Food intake was measured 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 4-hours post injection. Chocolate chip cookies were used as the palatable diet. CDP and BUS significantly increased palatable food intake in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05), however PL had no effect. These drugs had no effect on the intake of laboratory chow at any dose. While the 5HT1a receptor antagonist PL increases food reinforced operant behaviour on certain schedules, the results of this study show that it had no effect on free access to food, even when palatable food was made available. Hence, the behavioural paradigms under which the effects of 5HT1a antagonists on food intake are measured may influence experimental outcomes. Keywords: propranolol, buspirone, chlordiazepoxide, palatability |
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