Effect of L-tryptophan on the acquisition of tolerance to ethanol-induced motor impairment and hypothermia.

Rats were rendered tolerant to ethanol by daily gavage of 4--5 g/kg. The degree of motor impairment on the moving belt test and of hypothermia after i.p. test doses of ethanol was measured prior to and at various times during the chronic treatment, to assess the rates of tolerance development. L-Tryptophan (75 mg/kg twice daily) was administered chronically to elevate brain serotonin level. This treatment did not alter the motor impairment or hypothermia produced by the initial test doses of ethanol (2.0 and 2.5 g/kg respectively). However, the development of tolerance to both the motor impairment and hypothermia effects of ethanol was accelerated in the tryptophan-treated rats. This finding complements our earlier observations that depletion of 5-HT with p-CPA slows down tolerance. Blood ethanol measurements at 20 min (motor impairment) or 90 min (hypothermia) after the administration of the test dose reveal no significant difference between the control and tryptophan-treated rats, suggesting that tryptophan did not influence the metabolism of ethanol. This finding supports the hypothesis that brain serotonin modulates the development of tolerance to ethanol.