Lithium has lately been regarded as an extremely promising psychotropic drug in treatment of mania and various psychotic excitement. Perphenazine, which is a strong anti-emetics and particularly effective for schizophrenia, is one of the most extensively used phenothiazines.
In 1960, Khouw et al. reported that chlorpromazine elevated the blood alcohol level in horse by the inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in liver. Other investigators has recently reported that lithium, some antidepressants and several psychotropic drugs elevated the blood alcohol level in rabbits. In view of these findings, the author conducted an animal experiment to investigate and evaluate the effects of perphenazine alone and in combination with lithium on blood alcohol level in rabbits.
Material and Methods
1. The experimental work was done with mature rabbits of both sexes, weighing between 2. 0kg to 3.0kg.
2. The experimental animal were divided into two groups; control and experimental group. Control group was given alcohol alone, and experimental group was further divided into three groups and alcohol+perphenazine group, alcohol+ lithium group.
3. Lithium chloride solution (6.36%) was given intravenously. Alcohol+lithium group was divided into two subgroups. In the first subgroup, lithium was given 3. 0 mEq/kg of body weight, daily for 4 days, and in second subgroup, daily for 7 days. The last dose of lithium was given 60 minutes before alcohol administration.
4. Perphenazine was given intraperitoneally, in a dose of 4mg/kg of body weight, daily for 5 days. The last dose was given 60 minutes before alcohol administration.
5. In perphenazine and lithium group, perphenazine was given intraperitoneally, in a dose of 4mg /kg of body weight, daily for 5 days, and lithium chloride solution (6.36°%) was given intravenously, in a dose of 3mEq/kg of body weight, daily for 4 days. The last one was given 60 minutes before alcohol administration.
6. In all groups, 20 vol. % alcohol was given, in a dose of 5. Oml/kg of body weight, at a constant rate for 5 minutes, by intravenous route.
7. All of the blood specimen were obtained by cardiac puncture at 15 minutes and 45 minutes respectively after alcohol administration.
8. The blood alcohol level was determined by Cavett´s method.
Result
1. Alcohol+perphenazine group
Perphenazine elevated the blood alcohol level significantly at both 15 (P<. 01) and 45 minutes(P<.01) after alcohol administration.
2. Alcohol+lithium group
In both subgroups, lithium elevated significantly the blood alcohol level at both 15 (P<. 01) and 45 minutes (P<. 01) after alcohol administration.
3. Alcohol+perphenazine+lithium group.
Perphenazine combined with lithium elevated significantly the blood alcohol level at both 15 (P< .01) and 45 minutes (P<. 01) after alcohol administration. In this group, blood alcohol levels were significantly higher than those of the subgroup of alcohol+perphenazine and of alcohol+lithium (for 4 days), but there was no significant change in blood alcohol level between this one and alcohol+lithium (for 7 days) at both 15 (P>. 05) and 45 minutes (P>. 05) after alcohol administration.
Conclusion
1. Intravenus injection of lithium chloride (in a dose of 3.0 mEq/kg/day, for both 4 days and 7 days) elevated significantly the blood alcohol level in rabbits at both 15 and 45 minutes after alcohol administration.
2. Intraperitoneally injected perphenazine, elevated significantly the blood alcohol level in rabbits at both 15 and 45 minutes after alcohol administration.
3. The perphenazine combined with lithium chloride elevated significantly the blood alcohol level in rabbits at both 15 and 45 minutes after alcohol administration,
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