AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 259, Issue 2 277-R281, Copyright © 1990 by American Physiological Society
Metabolic characteristics of cat kidney: failure to adapt to metabolic acidosis
G. Lemieux, C. Lemieux, S. Duplessis and J. Berkofsky
Renal Laboratory, Hotel-Dieu Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
During studies performed on domestic cats made acidotic with ammonium
chloride, it was found that the cat kidney is unable to adapt to metabolic
acidosis. Renal proximal tubules do not increase their production of
ammonia or glucose from glutamine during acidosis. During in vivo studies,
the renal excretion of ammonia did not change much during acidosis. Other
metabolic parameters in the cat were not very different from those found in
other animals such as rat or dog. However, it was found that cats may show
a relatively high plasma glucose concentration compared with other animals.
Plasma insulin concentration was normal, and the animals showed no evidence
of diabetes mellitus. It is not known whether limitation of ammoniagenesis
and elevated plasma glucose concentration also characterize larger felidae
such as panthers and cougars.
