Blood oxygen affinity and alveolar ventilation in relation in body weight in mammals.

The validity of the concept relating blood oxygen affinity and alveolar ventilation to body weight in homeothermic mammals was reexamined with blood pH used as the fixed variable. Blood Po2 at 50% saturation at pH 7.4 (P50(7.4)) and PCO2 of oxygenated blood at pH 7.4 (PCO2(7.4)) from a variety of homeothermic mammals were determined at 37 degrees C by in vitro equilibration techniques. In some species, arterial PCO2, PO2, and pH were also measured. PCO2(7.4), which was similar to arterial PCO2, showed a correlation coefficient of +0.33 with body weight over the range of 28-100,000 g and +0.90 among the species under 200 g. P50(7.4) values, which ranged from 26.0 to 38.7 mmHg for all the species, were not well correlated (r = -0.43) with body weight. For the small mammals (less than 200 g) the correlation coefficient was -0.91. In vivo P50 at the body temperature and arterial pH, although different from P50(7.4), showed a similar correlation with body weight. The lack of valid generalization suggests that body weight is only one of the composite factors that influence O2 transport systems.