Relationship between central nervous system hydrogen ion regulation and amino acid metabolism in hypercapnia

Resting level of ventilation is affected by change in hydrogen ion [H+] and by certain amino acid neurotransmitters in the brain and cerebral fluids. Hypercapnia alters both [H+] and amino acid content. Therefore, the effect of 90 min of hypercapnia on blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contents of selected amino acids and ammonia was studied in anesthetized mongrel dogs using 13N-labeled ammonia. Metabolic turnover of CSF ammonia was not significantly altered by hypercapnia, but CSF equilibrium concentration of metabolized ammonia, i.e., glutamine, a precursor of the neurotransmitters glutamic acid and gamma amino butyric acid, varied linearly with CSF bicarbonate and hydrogen ion concentration. The percentage of CSF glutamine derived from tracer-labeled ammonia metabolized in the central nervous system (CNS) rose from 30% at normocapnia to 60% after 90 min of hypercapnia, whereas at the same time, the CSF transfer rate of glutamine increased by a factor of 2. These observations show that there is a significant correlation between CNS transfer of glutamine and CNS hydrogen ion regulation during hypercapnia.