AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 249, Issue 4 438-R442, Copyright © 1985 by American Physiological Society
Absence of sodium chloride preference in Fischer-344 rats
E. E. Midkiff, D. A. Fitts, J. B. Simpson and I. L. Bernstein
Preference for NaCl solutions as a function of concentration was examined
in three inbred strains of rats (Munich-Wistar, Buffalo, and Fischer-344)
and outbred Wistar rats. Fischer-344 rats were found to differ markedly
from the other strains in that they failed to prefer any concentration of
NaCl solution to water. This difference did not appear to be due to an
insensitivity to the taste of NaCl since they significantly avoided
solutions at concentrations (greater than 0.7%) that were strongly
preferred by other rat strains. Differences between Fischer-344 and other
rat strains also did not appear to be due to a generally anomalous taste
system since their intake and preference for prototypes of other basic
tastes (sweet, sour, and bitter) were generally similar to those of other
strains. Although Fischer-344 rats were somewhat slower than Wistar to
excrete a sodium load, it is unlikely that this difference can provide a
direct explanation of the aversion of Fischer-344 rats for NaCl.
