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Nicotine & Tobacco Research Advance Access originally published online on September 30, 2009
Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2009 11(11):1304-1311; doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp139
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Nicotine causes opposite effects on alcohol intake: Evidence in an animal experimental model of abstinence and relapse from alcohol

Francisco Alén, Raquel Gómez, Gustavo González-Cuevas, Miguel Navarro and José Antonio López-Moreno

Francisco Alén, M.S., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Raquel Gómez, Ph.D., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Gustavo González-Cuevas, Ph.D., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Miguel Navarro, Ph.D., M.D., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
José Antonio López-Moreno, Ph.D., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Corresponding Author: Francisco Alén, M.S., Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus de Somosaguas, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28223, Spain. Telephone: +34-91-394-30-93; Fax: +34-91-394-31-89; E-mail: f.alen{at}psi.ucm.es


  Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco and alcohol are frequently co-abused, but the mechanism underlying this interaction is not well understood. Experimental data on the influence of nicotine upon alcohol consumption are not conclusive.

Methods: To elucidate the role of nicotine in alcohol consumption, alcohol-experienced rats were submitted to consecutive phases of forced abstinence from alcohol, followed by relapses, in which their alcohol consumption was measured in a 2-bottle choice test. Rats were assigned to one of 4 groups: (a) "Control," which received daily saline injections during both the abstinence and relapse phases, (b) "Nic. All," which received nicotine injections during both phases, (c) "Nic. Abst.," which received nicotine during the abstinence phase only, and (d) "Nic. Rel.," which received nicotine during the relapse phase only. The nicotine doses (0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mg/kg) were administered in an escalating fashion. Alcohol consumption was measured 3 times per day.

Results: Overall, the rats treated daily with nicotine during both the abstinence and relapse phases (Nic. All) significantly increased their alcohol intake compared with the rats treated daily with vehicle alone (Control). Similarly, rats treated with nicotine during the alcohol abstinence phase only (Nic. Abst.) also increased their alcohol consumption. However, rats treated with nicotine during the alcohol relapse phase only (Nic. Rel.) decreased their alcohol intake. In addition, a more exhaustive analysis showed critical differences in patterns of alcohol consumption during the first hour and the first day of alcohol access.

Discussion: Taken together, we provide evidence that depending on the timing of exposure, the same dose of nicotine can have opposite effects on alcohol consumption.

Received: February 12, 2009; Accepted: July 9, 2009
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