Renin and ACTH responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia after chronic carotid chemodenervation.

We studied the effect of chronic carotid body denervation on renin (plasma renin activity, PRA), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), blood pressure, and hematocrit responses to acute normocapnic (arterial CO2 partial pressure, PaCO2, 35 Torr) and hypercapnic (PaCO2, 65 Torr) hypoxia (arterial O2 partial pressure, PaO2, 31 Torr) in five anesthetized, artificially ventilated dogs. Animals were studied at least 3 days before and again at least 10 days after carotid body denervation (bilateral carotid sinus nerve resection). Increases in PRA during hypercapnic normoxia [21.8 +/- 6.4 ng angiotensin I (ANG I) X ml-1 X 3 h-1] and normocapnic hypoxia (13.3 +/- 4.2 ng ANG I X ml-1 X 3 h-1) were not attenuated by carotid body denervation. Increases in ACTH during normocapnic hypoxia (117 +/- 34 pg/ml) were attenuated but not eliminated by carotid body denervation; the increase in ACTH during hypercapnic hypoxia (295 +/- 93 pg/ml) was not attenuated by carotid body denervation. Both the blood pressure and hematocrit responses to normocapnic and hypercapnic hypoxia were attenuated by carotid body denervation. We concluded that 1) the renin response to hypercapnia and hypoxia is not a carotid chemoreflex, 2) the ACTH response to hypoxia is partially a carotid chemoreflex, and 3) blood pressure and hematocrit responses to hypoxia are primarily carotid chemoreflexes.