Efficacy of peptide anxiolytic selank during modeling of withdrawal syndrome in rats with stable alcoholic motivation.

We studied the effects of selank on the development of symptoms of acute 48-h alcohol withdrawal in outbred rats drinking 10 % ethanol as the only source of fluid for 24 weeks. In alcohol-preferring animals (mean daily ethanol intake >5.0 g/kg) allowed free choice between 10 % ethanol and water, single intraperitoneal injection of selank in a dose of 0.3 mg/kg eliminated anxiety induced by ethanol withdrawal in tests elevated plus maze and social interaction tests and prevented the formation of mechanical allodynia without affecting ethanol consumption. The fi ndings suggest that selank is effective in eliminating of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in rats.