Changes in high-energy phosphates in rat skeletal muscle during acute respiratory acidosis

We used 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study changes in phosphorus metabolite concentrations in rat skeletal muscle during respiratory acidosis (14 and 20% inspired CO2) and recovery. As intracellular pH fell (from 7.05 to 6.75 after 20 min of 20% CO2), intracellular [P(i)] increased by up to 50% while phosphocreatine concentration decreased by up to 8%. The sum of all intracellular phosphates remained constant. [ADP] decreased by up to 40% in accordance with the creatine kinase equilibrium but the phosphorylation potential [ATP]/([ADP][P(i)]) was preserved as a result of increased [P(i)]. This adjustment may be a mechanism for maintaining mitochondrial ATP synthesis despite low pH. Eventually this increase in cellular [P(i)] could lead to slow efflux of P(i) from the skeletal muscle cell contributing to the hyperphosphataemia of acute respiratory acidosis.