Decreased distal acidification in acute hypercapnia in the dog

The present studies evaluate the effect of acute hypercapnia on distal nephron H+ secretion (DNH+S) in vivo by means of the urine-blood PCO2 difference (U-B PCO2) in alkaline urine. Bicarbonaturia was induced by either a sodium bicarbonate infusion or L-lysine administration. Our results demonstrate that the U-B PCO2, as a function of the urinary bicarbonate concentration, was significantly lower during acute respiratory acidosis; this effect was not dependent on changes in glomerular filtration rate and/or fractional excretion of sodium, potassium, and chloride. Infusion of the sodium salts of sulfate, a nonreabsorbable anion, did not correct the diminished U-B PCO2. Amiloride caused the U-B PCO2 to fall in normocapnic dogs but not in hypercapnic dogs. When hypercapnia was superimposed in dogs with extracellular fluid volume contraction, there were no changes in the U-B PCO2. This study indicates that acute hypercapnia in the intact dog decreases DNH+S and is compatible with an effect of hypercapnia on the voltage-dependent component of urine acidification. The mechanism appears to be direct rather than secondary to factors that influence the rate of sodium delivery to the distal nephron.