Keef: Renal handling of bicarbonate Flashcards
What do the kidneys do to help mitigate changes in acid load?
1) The kidneys conserve filtered bicarbonate
2) The kidneys can make “new” bicarbonate to replace the bicarbonate lost during buffering.
3) The kidneys can excrete excess bicarbonate (alkalosis)
4) The kidneys can excrete fixed acid
H2CO3 HCO3-(New) + H+(excrete
In the proximal tubule, how low can the pH go?
6
In the distal tubule, how low can the pH go?
4.4
In the distal tubule, is there carbonic anhydrase in the membrane between the cell and the tubular lumen?
No!
What else is different about bicarbonate absorption in the distal nephron?
The H+ cannot move freely into the tubular lumen via the exchange of Na+. Instead it must use an H+ATP-ase.
What kind of cells are found in the distal nephron, which secrete H+?
alpha intercalated cells
During alkalosis, what happens to excretion of bicarb?
It increases! If the pH goes up, less H+ secretion, so more bicarb will show up in the urine, because it is not being reabsorbed, and urine pH will become more basic.
What is the main point of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors?
Increase bicarb excretion by blocking carbonic anhydrase. This returns pH toward 7.4
2 methods in which the kidney can eliminate fixed acid?
- Formation of NH4+ (NH4+ can be secreted in proximal tubule from glutamine–>NH4+ + HCO3-; in the distal nephron, it is secreted as NH3+ and combines with H+ to form NH4Cl)
- Formation of titratable acid
What is the predominate titratable acid in the tubular fluid?
Phosphate
At low pH, what form is phosphate in?
At high pH?
H2PO4-
HPO42-
Predominate form of phosphate in the body. What does it get converted to in the lumen, for secretion and excretion?
NaHPO4-
H2PO4-
Glutamine can enter the proximal tubule and form NH4+ and HCO3-. Then, NH4+ can leave into the tubule lumen via exchange with Na+ and can form (blank) and be excreted.
NH4Cl
What is the biggest “job” the kidneys perform?
Reabsorption of filtered bicarb.
When calculating reabsorption rate of bicarb, what should be considered?
Reabsorption rate = filtered load - excretion rate
BUT excretion rate is negligible
Net acid excretion equation
NAE = TA + NH4+ - HCO3 in the urine = new HCO3- generation
Net acid excretion is equal to (blank)
The amount of new HCO3- generated. Acid is secreted at the same rate of formation of new bicarb.
Amount of new HCO3 in mmol added to body per day under normal conditions.
59mmol/day