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OBJECTIVE The alcoholism-related social problems have burdened the public health heavily.A better therapy for alcohol dependence as a chronic brain disease is highly required and interests the scientists worldwide. Our group has focused on screening the right drug with low toxicity and a sound curative effect from traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS Alcohol-preferring Fawn-Hooded(FH/Wjd) rat was used as an animal model of alcoholism to evaluate the effects of brucine N-oxide(BNO),an alkoloid naturally existing in the seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica L,on the alcohol-drinking behaviors.Furthermore,its adverse action and toxicity were investigated. RESULTS Treatment with BNO at the doses of 30,50 and 70 mg · kg~(-1)reduced the voluntary alcohol consumption and preference dosedependently and selectively without altering their water intake,total fluid intake,food consumption,body weight as well as sucrose preference. Remarkably,70 mg·kg~(-1)of BNO did suppress the deprivationinduced elevation of alcohol ingestion. Moreover,BNO used at the same doses as above had no influence on locomotion in an open field test and could not result in the place preference effect. CONCLUSION Taken together,BNO is of some significant pharmacological profiles to inhibit symptoms of alcohol dependence with high safety,and thence may be a potential pharmacotherapy.
OBJECTIVE The alcoholism-related social problems have burdened the public health heavily. A better therapy for alcohol dependence as a chronic brain disease is highly required and interests the scientists worldwide. Our group has focused on screening the right drug with low toxicity and a sound curative METHODS Alcohol-preferring Fawn-Hooded (FH / Wjd) rat was used as an animal model of alcoholism to evaluate the effects of brucine N-oxide (BNO), an alkoloid naturally existing in the seeds of Strychnos nux -vomica L, on the alcohol-drinking behaviors. Still more, its adverse action and toxicity were investigated. RESULTS Treatment with BNO at the doses of 30, 50 and 70 mg · kg -1 reduced the voluntary alcohol consumption and preference dose dependent and selectively without altering their water intake, total fluid intake, food consumption, body weight as well as sucrose preference. Remarkably, 70 mg · kg -1 of BNO did suppress the deprivation induced eleva tion of alcohol ingestion. Moreover, BNO used at the same doses as above had no influence on locomotion in an open field test and could not result in the place preference effect. CONCLUSION Taken together, BNO is of some significant pharmacological profiles to inhibit symptoms of alcohol dependence with high safety, and thence may be a potential pharmacotherapy.