Plasma cortisol levels of male and female rats with different levels of experience with ethanol

Administration of ethanol activates the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, resulting in elevated corticosterone release in adulthood (see Barney et al., 2022; Willey et al., 2012). This response could depend on the subjects' degree of ethanol exposure (see Barney et al., 2022). On the other hand, sex differences have been described in the response of the HPA axis associated with alcohol consumption (Retson et al., 2015). Taking this background into account, in the present research we examine possible sex differences in ethanol-induced plasma cortisol levels in adult Wistar rats with different experience with ethanol. The results obtained indicated that plasma cortisol levels were higher in female rats exposed for a longer time to ethanol than those of males with the same level of experience with ethanol. These differences were not obtained when the level of experience with ethanol was lower. These data are substantially in line with what has been observed by other research groups. In adult rats, females have been shown not only to ingest significantly more ethanol than their male counterparts (de la Torre et al., 2015) but also to release more cortisol than adult males in response stressors (Duchesne et al., 2009), to an acute ethanol challenge (Ogilvie and Rivier, 1997), or a chronic ethanol exposure (Retson et al., 2015). These results may contribute to clarifying sexual differences in alcohol consumption, in general, and in stressful situations, in particular (Logrip et al., 2018; Retson et al., 2015).