Effects of acute acid-base changes on rat renal pyruvate dehydrogenase. Renal pyruvate dehydrogenase during acid-base alterations.

Glutamine, the principal source of urinary ammonia, can be fully oxidized or converted to glucose by the kidney. To be oxidized, the carbon skeleton of glutamine must enter the TCA cycle as acetyl CoA formed by pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). The purpose of this study was to measure kidney PDH activity (active and total) following acute acid-base changes in vivo. PDHa activity was elevated after acute metabolic alkalosis and acidosis and unchanged by respiratory acidosis. Kidney ADP/ATP, CoA/acetyl CoA and calculated mitochondrial NAD+/NADH ratios were also determined and revealed an increase in kidney ADP/ATP with alkalosis but no changes during metabolic and respiratory acidosis.