Summary
It is presently debated how much cellular acidosis contributes to brain cell damage during ischemia and hypoxia. To study the influence of acidosis occurring in the absence of energy failure, extreme hypercapnia was produced in anesthetized, artificially ventilated, and well oxygenated rats by increasing the inspired CO2 concentration until arterialPCO2 reached 150 or 300 mm Hg. At these CO2 tensions intracellular pH falls from a control value of about 7.05 to about 6.85 and 6.65, respectively. After 45 min the brains were fixed in perfusion and processed for light and electron microscopy.
AtPaCO2 150 mm Hg no clear neuronal abnormality was detected, but atPaCO2 300 mm Hg some neuronal changes were observed. Notably, the nuclei showed slightly coarser chromatin than normally. In a few nerve cells mild swelling of mitochondria and dispersion of polysomes as well as detachment of ribosomes from the endoplasmic reticulum appeared. In both groups, slight to moderate astrocytic edema developed.
Thus, even extreme hypercapnia, with its acompanying marked tissue acidosis, alters ultrastructure in the brain only to such a moderate extent that irreversible cell damage is unlikely. We conclude, therefore, that acidosis occurring during ischemia or hypoxia is detrimental only if pH is further lowered and/or if it occurs in conjunction with cerebral energy failure.
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Paljärvi, L., Söderfeldt, B., Kalimo, H. et al. The brain in extreme respiratory acidosis. Acta Neuropathol 58, 87–94 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691646
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691646