Urinary cyclic AMP and vasopressin excretion in rat strains selected for their alcohol intake.

Urinary excretion of adenosine 3',5' -cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and immunoreactive arginine vasopressin (AVP) were investigated after water loading and following ethanol loading in two rat strains selected for their voluntary ethanol intake. After ethanol loading ethanol preferring (AA) rats excreted more cAMP but less AVP than water preferring (ANA) rats. The results suggest that the strain difference in cAMP excretion is of renal origin and is not due to vasopressin or parathormone. Differences in the sympathetic nervous activity may be responsible for the difference in cAMP excretion.