Secondary hypocapnia fails to protect "whole body" intracellular pH during chronic HCl-acidosis in the dog.

Studies have demonstrated that the protective effect of secondary hypocapnia on plasma acidity during chronic HCl-acidosis is undermined by a renal-mediated decrement in plasma bicarbonate concentration induced by the hypocapnia itself. The present study was designed to assess whether the protection of "whole body" intracellular pH (pHi) is similarly undermined by this maladaptive response of the kidney. Whole body pHi was estimated by the 5,5 dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (DMO) method in seven unanesthetized dogs under each of three conditions: control, chronic HCl-acidosis (10 mEq H+/kg/day) with spontaneous secondary hypocapnia, and chronic HCl-acidosis with a normal level of carbon dioxide tension (maintained by the use of an environmental chamber). pHi was 6.71 +/- 0.02 during control, and 6.57 +/- 0.03 and 6.57 +/- 0.02 during the two acidosis periods, respectively. These results indicate that sustained secondary hypocapnia fails to render the intracellular compartment less acidic because of a maladaptive reduction in intracellular bicarbonate concentration.