18-Methoxycoronaridine, a potential anti-obesity agent, does not produce a conditioned taste aversion in rats.
18-Methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), a selective antagonist of alpha3beta4 nicotinic receptors, has been shown to reduce the self-administration of several drugs of abuse. Recently, this agent has also been shown to attenuate sucrose reward, decrease sucrose intake and prevent the development of sucrose-induced obesity in rats. The present experiments were designed to determine whether the latter effect was due to an 18-MC-induced conditioned taste aversion to sucrose. Both 18-MC (20mg kg, i.p.) and control agent, lithium chloride (100mgkg, i.p.), reduced sucrose intake 24h after association with sucrose however, only lithium chloride reduced sucrose intake 72h later. Consistent with previous data, 18-MC appears to have proactive effect for 24h and it does not induce a conditioned taste aversion.