We demonstrate that tesaglitazar and fenofibrate decrease alcohol consumption in male C57BL/6J mice in a 2BC paradigm. Tesaglitazar and fenofibrate predominantly activate PAPRα and γ and PPARα, respectively 30, 65. Consistent with our results for tesaglitazar, other PPARγ agonists (pioglitazone and rosiglitazone) decreased alcohol consumption in a 2BC paradigm in rats 58, 59. However, different effects of PPARα agonists on alcohol consumption have been reported. Consistent with our results for fenofibrate, Barson et al. (2009) found that the PPARα agonist gemfibrozil (50 mg/kg i.g.) decreased voluntary alcohol consumption in male Sprague Dawley rats in a 2BC test using 7% alcohol 5. However, Schlicht et al. (1987) reported that clofibrate (0.5% diet, approximately 300 mg/kg/day) increased voluntary alcohol consumption in male spontaneous hypertensive rats in a 2BC paradigm using 30% alcohol 55. These conflicting results may be due to the different experimental parameters, including differences in drugs, dosages, rat strains and ethanol concentrations.
