The Aversive Effect of Acetaldehyde on Alcohol Drinking Behavior in the Rat

There are a number of indications suggesting that acetaldehyde (AcH) is one factor affecting the alcohol drinking behavior in laboratory animals. In the present study, the voluntary alcohol consumption in a free-choice situation was recorded in 17 female Spraque-Dawley rats fed with two different diets. The first diet (commercial Astra-Ewos, Sweden) caused significantly ( p < 0.001) higher blood AcH concentrations after oral alcohol administration and lower alcohol preferences (alcohol intake as percentage of total fluid intake) than the other diet (prepared at the Alko laboratories). With the Alko diet, the individual preference values correlated negatively with the blood AcH concentrations ( p < 0.01) and positively with the liver aldehyde dehydrogenase activities ( p < 0.05). Hepatic alcohol oxidation rate was found to correlate positively with the AcH concentrations from perfused livers ( p < 0.05) and negatively with the alcohol preferences ( p < 0.05, Alko diet). The results are discussed considering a possible biphasic relation between the AcH metabolism and alcohol drinking behavior.