Acidification adaptation along the inner medullary collecting duct

Chronic acid feeding (ACD) stimulates and chronic alkali (AKL) feeding suppresses acid secretion along the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) of the rat. The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether these stimuli produce IMCD acidification adaptation. We tested this hypothesis by acutely changing systemic PCO2 in rats chronically fed ACD or ALK. Microcatheterization was used to measure pH and PCO2 and samples were simultaneously obtained for measurement of bicarbonate, titratable acid (TA), and ammonium. In 10 ACD rats (arterial pH, 7.26 +/- 0.01; PCO2, 88 +/- 1 mmHg) acid secretion along the IMCD was 506 +/- 88 nmol/min. In 10 ALK rats with similar arterial gases (pH, 7.16 +/- 0.02; PCO2, 82 +/- 1 mmHg) IMCD acid secretion was only 284 +/- 57 nmol/min, P less than 0.05. In ACD rats made hypocarbic (pH, 7.26 +/- 0.03; PCO2, 24 +/- 1 mmHg), IMCD acid secretion was 163 +/- 55 nmol/min. These data were compared with previously studied rats eating a regular diet. Acute hypocarbia (pH, 7.54 +/- 0.02; PCO2, 20 +/- 1 mmHg) completely suppressed acid secretion, 4 +/- 23 nmol/min, along the IMCD. We conclude that chronic alterations in acid-base status provide an IMCD "set" where comparable stimuli produce significant differences in IMCD acidification. These data provide additional support for the concept of IMCD acidification adaptation.