Role of acidosis in the protein wasting of fasting in the rat and the rabbit

Abstract

The purpose of these experiments was to determine if augmented renal ammoniagenesis in chronic metabolic acidosis could increase the negative nitrogen balance during prolonged fasting. To explore this question, rats and rabbits were fasted for up to 10 days because acidosis would markedly augment ammonium excretion in the rat but not in the rabbit. Since the ketoacidosis of fasting was mild in both species (< 2 mM) and ketonuria virtually absent, a hydrochloric acid load was given to stimulate renal ammoniagenesis. Under these conditions, nitrogen balance was significantly more negative during acidosis in the rat but not in the rabbit. This increment in nitrogen excretion appeared as ammonium with no detectable difference in urea nitrogen excretion. Therefore, it appears that if more nitrogen is excreted as ammonium, net protein breakdown increases to furnish the substrate for ammoniagenesis rather than reducing the excretion of the other nitrogenous waste component urea. The implications of these findings will be discussed.