Syrian Golden hamsters prefer and consume large and remarkably constant amounts of
ethanol in a simple two-bottle free-choice regimen.
Ethanol intake is significantly suppressed by
zimelidine,
bromocriptine,
buspirone, and
lithium carbonate, pharmacological agents that have been shown to be beneficial in controlling
ethanol intake in alcohol-dependent humans. These results suggest that this
ethanol-drinking animal model has high "predictive validity" and can be used effectively in the search for and identification of new agents for the treatment of
alcohol abuse. The model has enabled us to confirm the putative antidipsotropic effect of Radix puerariae (RP), an herb long used in
traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of patients who
abuse alcohol. A
crude extract of RP at a dose of 1.5 g.kg-1 x day-1 significantly suppresses (> 50%) the free-choice
ethanol intake of Golden hamsters. Moreover, two major constituents of RP,
daidzein (4',7-dihydroxyisoflavone) and
daidzin (the 7-
glucoside of
daidzein), were also shown to suppress free-choice
ethanol intake.
Daidzin and
daidzein, at doses of 150 and 230 mg.kg-1 x day-1, respectively, suppress
ethanol intake by > 50%. RP,
daidzein, and
daidzin treatment do not significantly affect the
body weight and water or food intake of the hamsters. These findings identify a class of compounds that offer promise as safe and effective therapeutic agents for
alcohol abuse.