Effects of different ethanol-administration regimes on mRNA and protein levels of steroid 5α-reductase isozymes in prefrontal cortex of adolescent male rats

Rationale Underage drinking is a leading public health problem in developed countries. An increasing proportion of adolescents consume alcoholic beverages every weekend. Increased anxiety, irritability, and depression among adolescents may induce them to seek for the anxiolytic and rewarding properties of alcohol. Allopregnanolone (AlloP) shares rewarding effects of ethanol and modulates ethanol intake. The rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of AlloP is steroid 5α-reductase (5α-R), which is expressed as three isozymes, 5α-R1, 5α-R2, and 5α-R3.