Acid-base-electrolyte balance responses to catecholamine antagonists in Ambystoma tigrinum.

Neotenic larval Ambystoma tigrinum were subjected to hypercapnia (3% CO2, 22 Torr) for 24 h under different conditions: alpha-adrenergic blockade using phentolamine, beta-adrenergic blockade using propranolol, and sham treatments. The sham animals were able to carry out a partial extracellular pH compensation that consisted of an increase in extracellular [HCO3-]. Animals treated with catecholamine antagonists did not compensate to the same extent. Analysis of plasma samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection revealed a significant increase in circulating norepinephrine, but not epinephrine, during the high-CO2 exposure. Measurements of cutaneous ion transport showed that beta-antagonists block the increased Na+ influx associated with hypercapnia, whereas alpha-antagonists inhibited the decrease in cutaneous Cl- influx that is also associated with respiratory acidosis. Additionally, both alpha- and beta-blockers inhibited the increase in transcutaneous potential difference that accompanied the respiratory acidosis. The results are consistent with a role for circulating catecholamines in compensatory ion transport responses to respiratory acidosis in this species.