eng Ansari Education and Research Society Journal of Ultra Chemistry 0973-3450 2319-8036 August 2009 5 2 187 196 juc 705 article Jamaan Said Ajarem 1 Emad H. Al Safar 1 Mohammad Khalid Al Sadoon 1 Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O.Box 2455, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia) <p style="text-align: justify;">The effect of thermal stress and alcohol stress given simultaneously to male albino mice was studied using locomotory behaviour as the assessment parameter in an open field arena. The mice were exposed to 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 &ordm;C &plusmn; 2&ordm;C for 24 h before subjecting them to behavioural test. The animals were injected with 99% ethyl alcohol at the doses of 1 and 3 g/kg body weight (<em>i.p.</em>). The behavioural activities recorded at 20&plusmn;2&ordm;C were considered as the control activity at normal temperature. All locomotory activity observations were made in thermostatically controlled chamber at all specified temperatures and alcohol exposures. Locomotor activities including the numbers of square crossed, rears, wall rears and washes, decreased at lower temperatures and increased at higher temperatures as compared to the controls. Alcohol intoxication inflicted an inhibitory effect on all acts and postures in a dose dependent manner at all thermal stress. Locomotory and immobility durations of the animals during the test period were directly and inversely related to the stresses. These observations are discussed in the light of the thermal regulatory mechanism in the body and the possibility of studying these effects in perspective of the effects of thermal and alcohol stresses causing injuries in humans.</p> https://journalofchemistry.org/paper/705/ Thermal stress alcohol stress locomotory behaviour mice thermoregulatory mechanism