Renal and cardiovascular responses to acute hypercapnic acidosis in conscious dogs: role of renin--angiotensin.

Patients with pulmonary dysfunction and CO2 retention have renal hemodynamic abnormalities accompanied by increased plasma renin activity. To determine if hypercapnia impairs renal function, particularly through the renin-angiotensin system, the effects of acute hypercapnic acidosis (HC), using 8.5% CO2, were measured in five unanesthetized dogs during (a) the intact state; (b) renin-angiotensin antagonism using either 1-sarcosine, 8-glycine angiotensin II ( [Sar1, Gly8] AII) or SQ 14,225; and (c) exogenous angiotensin II infusion. As partial arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) increased (p less than 0.05) from control (C) of 35 +/- 1 (SEM) to 48 +/- 1 mm Hg during HC, arterial pH fell (p less than 0.05) from 7.36 +/- 0.01 to 7.24 +/- 0.005. Renal function was uncompromised with HC, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary sodium excretion increased (p less than 0.05) despite a fourfold rise in plasma renin activity from C of 0.6 +/- 0.3 to 2.2 +/- 0.8 ng AI ml-1 h-1 during HC. Administration of [Sar1, Gly8] AII during HC did not consistently alter systemic or renal hemodynamic responses, and effects of SQ 14,225 during HC were also observed during normocapnia. Although systemic vascular responses to exogenous AII infusion were similar, the renal vasoconstrictor response was antagonized during HC with unchanged GFR and renal blood flow. These findings indicate that despite activation of the renin-angiotensin system, acute hypercapnic acidosis is unassociated with impairment of renal function in unanesthetized dogs. This may be related to diminished renal vascular AII responsiveness during hypercapnia.