Aldosterone secretion during acute metabolic and respiratory alkalosis in the goat.

Metabolic and respiratory alkalosis were produced in goats with the primary aim of studying possible influence of a reduced blood hydrogen ion concentration on aldosterone secretion. Metabolic alkalosis was induced by 1 h i.v. infusion of hypertonic tris(hydroxy-methyl)aminomethane (THAM) solution. The infusion was associated with a significant reduction in plasma aldosterone concentration (PA). It occurred in the absence of a detectable fall in plasma K or obvious change in plasma renin activity, but simultaneously with a moderate increase in plasma cortisol concentration and a significant reduction of plasma Na concentration. It suggests that changes of the primary aldosterone regulators were not the cause of the fall in PA, but leaves open the possibility that either the decreased blood hydrogen ion concentration as such or THAM-induced blood hypertonicity reduced the aldosterone secretion. The respiratory alkalosis was due to heat polypnoea elicited by 2 h exposure of the goats to 45 degrees C. Here, no obvious change in PA was observed during the alkalotic period, which, however, was associated with a rise in plasma K. Increased K stimulation may therefore have masked a possible inhibitory influence of the alkalosis upon the aldosterone secretion.