Acute ethanol administration increases plasma and brain levels of progesterone and deoxycorticosterone-derived neuroactive steroids (3α,5α)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP) and (3α,5α)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THDOC) in rats. However, little is known about ethanol effects on GABAergic neuroactive steroids in mice, non-human primates or humans. We investigated the effects of ethanol on plasma levels of 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced GABAergic neuroactive steroids derived from progesterone, deoxycorticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
