[Responses of small intestine tissue chemoreceptors to change in the pCO2, pH and (HCO3-) in perfusion solutions]

Perfusion of the small intestine of anesthetized cats with a solution having excessive CO2 and H+ concentration (pCO2 60 mm Hg; pH; 7.2; [HCO3-] 25 MM) produced a threshold reflex increase in the blood pressure. The subsequent increase of pCO2 to 380 mm Hg and decrease of pH to 6.4 evoked a gradual raise of the blood pressure (8.0+/-0.6 mm Hg) followed by the sharp increase of pressor reflexes amplitude within the range of pH 6.4--6.1. Tissue receptors were found to be essentially sensitive to solutions imitating metabolic acidosis (decrease of [HCO3-] within the physiological range of pH changes (pH 7.1--6.8). Solutions with pH 6.4--6.1 imitating respiratory acidosis (increase of pCO2) were more effective than those imitating metabolic acidosis. The possible role of interstitial pH changes in responses of the tissue chemoreceptors to CO2, is discussed.