C-terminal fragments of oxytocin (prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide and Z-prolyl-D-leucine) attenuate the development of tolerance to ethanol.

Earlier it was found that oxytocin (OXT) treatment inhibited the development of tolerance to ethanol. In the present study the possibility was investigated whether the effect of OXT on ethanol tolerance was related to peptide fragments derived from the C-terminal part of the molecule. The actions of different doses of the C-terminal tripeptide (prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide, PLG) and of a synthetic dipeptide derivative (Z-prolyl-D-leucine, Z-Pro-D-Leu) on the development of tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol in CFLP mice were therefore investigated. Peptide treatment did not affect body temperature in ethanol-naive animals. The acute effects (hypothermia, sleeping time) of a single ethanol injection were also unaffected by these peptides. In contrast, both PLG and Z-Pro-D-Leu inhibited the development of tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol. Accordingly, it might be speculated that a sequence active in affecting ethanol tolerance is located in the C-terminal part of the OXT molecule.