Carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, especially acetazolamide, has been reported to be effective in tretment of respiratory acidosis.
The purpose of the experiment reported here is to observe CO
2 transfer in the lung, following inhibition of blood carbonic anhydrase by acetazolamide in anesthetized dogs in which one lung was rebreathed into a small rubber bag and the other lung was ventilated freely on pure oxygen.
100mg/kg of acetazolamide were given intravenously at the end of the control period.
The P
CO2 of a sample of the gas in the rebreathing bag (bag P
CO2) was compared with the P
CO2 in a sample of mixed venous blood.
The measurement fo carbonic anhydrase activity in the erythrocyte was carried as described by Roughton & Booth.
Calculation of fractional CO
2 output was as follows: The rate of CO
2 output derived from that transported in physical solution was calculated from the data of Sendroy. The estimations of carbamino CO
2 contents were based on the data of Ferguson & Roughton. The rate of output of CO
2 transported as bicarbonate was assumed to be difference between the total CO
2 content and the sum of carbamino and dissolved CO
2 contents.
The results thus obtained are summarized as follows:
(1) Inhibition of enzyme activity was about 50% throughout the experiments.
(2) The expired minute volume increased after the injection of acetazolamide. After 60min, it was 194% of the control level.
(3) 30min, after injection of acetazolamide, CO
2 output decreased to 78% of the control level and gradually returned. At 60min, it was 92% of the control.
(4) Before the injection of acetazolamide, the difference between the bag P
CO2 and the mixed venous P
CO2 was not significant. After acetazolamide, the bag P
CO2 averaged 7mmHg higher than the blood values.
Apparently, when carbonic anhydrase was inhibited, the dissolved CO
2 of mixed venous blood did not attain equilibrium with bicarbonate by the time the blood entered the lung.
(5) The partition of the total CO
2 output into the forms in which CO
2 was carried was as follows:
Before acetazolamide, 16.9% of the CO
2 output was derived from dissolved CO
2, 23.4% from carbamino CO
2, After the CO
2 output had returned to the control level following acetazolamide, 41.1% was derived from dissolved CO
2, 39.7% from carbamino CO
2, The fraction of CO
2 output derived from bicarbonate was reduced from. 59.6% to 19.2%.
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