Immediate acceptance of minerals and hcl by calcium-deprived rats:
brief exposure tests.
Coldwell, S. E., and M. G. Tordoff.
Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia,
PA, 19104-3308, USA
APStracts 3:0063R, 1996.
We conducted two experiments to test the hypothesis that calcium
consumption by calcium-deprived rats is unlearned and guided by oral
cues. In Experiment 1, we gave 23.5 h water-deprived control and
calcium-deprived rats 30-min tests with water and various taste
solutions. Relative to controls, calcium-deprived rats licked
significantly less water and more 300 mM Ca[tilde]nlactate in the
first minute, more 50 mM HCl and 125 mM HCl in the first 10 min, and
more 75 mM CaCl2, 150 mM CaCl2, and 300 mM CaCl2 by the end of the
30-min session. There was no difference between the groups at any
time in lick rates for sodium solutions, quinine hydrochloride,
sucrose octaacetate or saccharin. In Experiment 2, we gave 23-h
water-deprived control, calcium-deprived, and sodium-deprived rats
10-min tests. During the first minute, calcium-deprived rats licked
more than did control and sodium-deprived rats for 100 mM CaCl2, 100
mM FeCl2, and 20 mM Pb[tilde]nacetate. Sodium-deprived rats licked
more than did control and calcium-deprived rats for 600 mM NaCl and
less than did controls for 200 mM L-histidine. At the end of the 10
-min session, sodium-deprived rats had higher lick rates for 100 mM
FeCl2 than did control rats. There were no differences between the
groups in lick rates for 1 mM quinine hydrochloride, 100 mM SrCl2, or
20 mM citric acid. The results suggest that calcium-deprived rats use
innate, oral factors to guide consumption of calcium and other
solutions.
Received 11 October 1995; accepted in final form 15 February
1996.
APS Manuscript Number R638-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 13 March 96