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* From the MANTRA Laboratory, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
Correspondence to: John A. Kellum, MD, FCCP, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, 3550 Terrace St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; e-mail: Kellumja{at}ccm.upmc.edu
| Abstract |
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Design: Randomized, open-label, controlled experiment.
Setting: University research laboratory.
Participants: Twenty-four adult, male, Sprague-Dawley rats.
Intervention: Eighteen hours after inducing lethal sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture, animals were randomized and classified into three groups. In groups 2 and 3, we began an IV infusion of 0.1 N HCl to reduce the standard base excess (SBE) by 5 to 10 mEq/L and 10 to 15 mEq/L, respectively. In group 1, we infused a similar volume of lactated Ringer solution. In all groups, infusions were continued for 8 h or until the animals died.
Measurements: We measured mean arterial pressure (MAP), arterial blood gases, electrolytes, plasma nitrate/nitrite, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-
, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 levels at 0 h, 3 h, 6 h, and 8 h.
Results: MAP remained stable in group 1 but decreased in groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.001), such that at 8 h MAP was much higher in group 1 (94 ± 9.2 mm Hg) [± SD] compared to either group 2 (71.6 ± 20.1 mm Hg) or group 3 (49.4 ± 33.2 mm Hg) [p = 0.01]. This change in MAP correlated with the increase in plasma Cl- (R2 = 0.50, p < 0.0001) and less well with the decrease in pH (R2 = 0.24, p < 0.001). After 6 h of acidosis, plasma nitrite levels were significantly higher in group 2 animals compared to either group 1 or group 3 animals (p < 0.05). Plasma TNF-
, IL-6, or IL-10 levels were not significantly different from control animals.
Conclusion: Moderate acidosis (SBE of 5 to 10 mEq/L), induced by HCl infusion, worsened BP and increased plasma nitrate/nitrite levels but had no effect on circulating cytokines in septic rats. However, severe acidosis (SBE of 10 to 15 mEq/L), while still causing hypotension, did not affect plasma nitrate/nitrite levels.
Key Words: acid-base balance chloride fluid resuscitation metabolic acidosis nitric oxide saline sepsis septic shock
| Introduction |
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Metabolic acidosis might reduce survival from sepsis through a variety of mechanisms. First, acidosis has been associated with hemodynamic instability,9
though the association is not always consistent10
and the mechanisms uncertain. Pedoto and colleagues11
have shown that metabolic acidosis may increase inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and this may lead to vasodilation and shock. Second, acidosis might lead to an alteration in the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Jensen and colleagues12
exposed macrophages to lactic acid (to a pH of 6.75) and found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-
secretion was increased secondary to increased gene transcription. In addition, in the intact organism, acidosis might lead to changes in the inflammatory response through its effect on catecholamine synthesis.13
Conversely, metabolic acidosis might produce beneficial effects on oxygen delivery or metabolism,14
and reversing metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate has not been shown to be beneficial in most studies.15
Thus, we sought to determine the effects of hyperchloremic acidosis on BP and on circulating inflammatory mediators.
| Materials and Methods |
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Experimental Protocol
Before the administration of HCl or lactated Ringer solution, we maintained the animals in a steady state as defined by stable BP, and arterial blood gas values for at least 30 min. Arterial pressure was measured continuously and recorded in real-time on a strip-chart recorder (Gould; Cleveland, OH). Eighteen hours after CLP, we randomized and classified the animals into three groups. In groups 2 and 3, we began an IV infusion of 0.1 N HCl via the femoral vein, to reduce the SBE by 5 to 10 mEq/L and 10 to 15 mEq/L, respectively. We sampled the arterial blood for blood gas measurements (0.2-mL samples) every 1 to 2 h as dictated by the variation in arterial pH between sampling. We adjusted the rate of HCl infusion as needed to achieve the target SBE. In group 1, we infused a similar volume of lactated Ringer solution. In all groups, infusions were continued for 8 h or until the animals died. We administered additional pentobarbital sodium (5 mg/kg intraperitoneal) when needed to maintain anesthesia for the entire protocol.
Measurements and Calculations
Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was recorded continuously. Blood work including blood gas analysis, whole blood lactate, and electrolytes necessary to calculate SID, plasma nitrate/nitrite, TNF-
, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 levels, were obtained at baseline (time 0) and at 3 h, 6 h, and 8 h. SBE was calculated as previously described.16
The apparent SID (SIDa) was calculated from arterial plasma as follows:
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NO- Production Assay
Total nitrite was measured using cadmium-mediated reduction of NO3- to NO2- followed by the Griess reagent.19
To reduce NO3- to NO2- in plasma, cadmium filings (0.4 to 0.7 g per tube; Fluka Chemicals; Milwaukee, WI) were loaded into 1.5-mL microcentrifuge tubes. The filings were washed twice with 1.0 mL of deionized water, twice with 1.0 mL of 0.1 mol/L HCl, and twice with 0.1 mol/L NH4OH. Ten microliters of 30% (weight/volume) ZnSO4 was added to 200 µL of culture supernatant or plasma, vortexed, incubated at room temperature for 15 min, and centrifuged at 14,000g for 5 min. The resulting supernatants were added to the cadmium-containing microcentrifuge tube and incubated at room temperature overnight with constant mixing. The samples were transferred to fresh microcentrifuge tubes and centrifuged again. The samples were subsequently measured for NO2- content by the Griess reagent.20
The plates were read using a MRX microplate reader (Dynex Technologies; Chantilly, VA) at 550 nm. NaNO2 was used to generate a standard curve.
Cytokine Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays
The cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were performed as recommended by the manufacture. ELISA kits for TNF-
, IL-6, and IL-10 were obtained from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN). The rat TNF-
ELISA measured levels of TNF-
< 5 pg/mL. A reference curve was obtained by plotting the TNF-
concentration of several dilutions of standard protein vs absorbance. The other ELISA kits were capable of measuring levels of < 5 pg/mL and < 10 pg/mL for IL-6 and IL-10, respectively.
Statistical Analysis
Our primary analysis was between the two experimental groups (HCl) and the control (lactated Ringer) group and was based on the MAP for surviving animals over time. Secondary analyses included plasma nitrate/nitrite and cytokines. Mean differences between and within groups were analyzed by analysis of variance adjusted for multiple comparisons (Student-Newman-Keuls) for all pairwise comparisons. Associations were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. A power calculation was based on an 80% power to detect a 30% difference in MAP. A sample size of 24 was sufficient to achieve this power. Error values given in the text are SDs. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc (version 4.2; Mariakerke, Belgium) and Stata (version 6.0; College Station, TX) software; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
| Results |
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Acid-base variables at each time point are summarized in Table 1 . After 8 h, SBE was significantly lower in HCl-treated animals (- 10.0 ± 3.4 and - 18.8 ± 4.6 for groups 2 and 3, respectively) compared to control animals (- 3.0 ± 1.5) [p < 0.0001]. MAP among the three groups over time is shown in Figure 1 . There was a dose-dependent effect of hyperchloremic acidosis on MAP. While MAP was stable in group 1 animals, group 2 had a significant decrease in MAP by 6 h (p < 0.001), and group 3 animals were significantly more hypotensive by 3 h (p < 0.001). At 8 h, MAP was significantly higher in group 1 (94 ± 9.2 mm Hg) compared to either group 2 (71.6 ± 20.1 mm Hg) or group 3 (49.4 ± 33.2 mm Hg) [p = 0.01].
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, IL-6, or IL-10 levels were not significantly different in either acidosis group compared to control animals. Acidosis appears to have increased the variability of cytokine response without significantly altering the overall pattern. However, unlike the cytokine response, plasma nitrite levels were significantly different in group 2 animals. Higher levels were seen in group 2 animals (26.4 ± 9.1 µmol/L) compared to either group 1 (19.3 ± 5.6 µmol/L) or group 3 animals (14.5 ± 3.9 µmol/L) [p < 0.05; Fig 2
].
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| Discussion |
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B. We have recently obtained similar results over this pH range using murine alveolar macrophages. However, we also observed that severe acidosis (pH 6.5) did not enhance nitrite production.23
This paradox has not been satisfactorily explained. However, some authors suggest that the optimal pH for iNOS is near 7.0. Intracellular pH is normally around 7.3; therefore, addition of acid would lower intracellular pH toward the optimal value, thus increasing iNOS activity and nitric oxide (NO) production. Further addition of acid would cause intracellular pH to fall below the optimal value leading to decrease in NO production.11
Additional studies are necessary to test this hypothesis. Our results are relevant to the clinical arena for a number of reasons. First, solutions that contain superphysiologic concentrations of chloride (ie, 0.9% saline solution) are routinely used for volume resuscitation in patients with sepsis. When administered rapidly and in large quantities, these solutions induce hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis,2 3 4 5 6 the magnitude of which is similar to the targets we chose in this investigation.8 Although the chemical mechanisms for these effects have been well described,1 7 24 there is still controversy as to whether these effects are deleterious to patients.15 25 However, iatrogenic acidosis that occurs from saline solution resuscitation appears to be harmful.8 26
In our previous study using an endotoxic shock model in the rat, we demonstrated that saline solution resuscitation was associated with a significantly shorter survival time compared to a more physiologic fluid containing starch in a balanced electrolyte solution.8 Furthermore, survival time was correlated with the decrease in pH and negatively correlated with the increase in serum Cl- following initial resuscitation. The decrease in pH appeared to have been brought on by changes in Cl-, lactate, and PaCO2. However, lactate values were not different between groups, and changes in PaCO2 were not correlated with survival time. Thus, hyperchloremic acidosis, rather than acidosis in general, was strongly associated with early mortality in these endotoxemic animals. Indeed some authors have argued that respiratory27 and lactic14 acidosis may have less harmful, even beneficial effects.
Pedoto and colleagues have demonstrated that hyperchloremic acidosis increases lung11 and intestinal injury21 in healthy rats. Comparing starch preparations in saline solution vs balanced electrolyte solution for elderly GI surgery patients, Wilkes and coworkers26 recently described worse acid-base balance and more adverse events with the saline-based fluid. Similar findings have been reported with 0.9% saline solution compared to lactated Ringer solution.28 Indeed, the side effect profile of saline solution-induced acidosis, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, thirst, hyperventilation, and delayed urination is identical to what occurs with ammonium chloride administration.29 30 Thus, while there is little evidence that treating metabolic acidosis improves clinical outcomes,10 15 there is mounting evidence that iatrogenic metabolic acidosis is harmful.
The present study was designed to explore the mechanisms whereby short-term survival might be reduced by hyperchloremic acidosis. Specifically, we sought to test the hypothesis that hyperchloremic acidosis induced by HCl infusion would result in hypotension and increased NO and inflammatory cytokine release in an animal model of CLP-induced sepsis. Our results indicate that a more complex relationship between acidosis, hypotension, and inflammation is likely. Acidosis caused a decrease BP in a dose-dependent fashion. The effect of metabolic acidosis on hemodynamics is varied and complex. Acidemia has been shown to stimulate vasopressin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and aldosterone in experimental animal models31 32 33 and may therefore increase MAP. However, in agreement with previous studies,11 21 we found instead that acidosis resulted in hypotension. NO release may have contributed to hypotension during moderate acidosis. However, NO release does not appear to be the mechanism responsible for hypotension during more severe acidosis. We have seen this same pattern of NO release in our studies of RAW cells incubated at various pH and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide.23 These results are consistent with the work of Bellocq et al,22 although the range of acidosis studied was narrower in their investigation. It is possible that the differential effects of acidosis on NO release may in part explain the disparate findings in the literature regarding the effects of acidosis and the results of its treatment.15 For example, if NO release is increased as the pH improves from severe to moderate acidosis, hypotension could be worsened. Regrettably, our methods do not permit us to test this hypothesis directly.
Our study has several other limitations. First, our study does not address the issue that some of the deleterious effects could be from hyperchloremia per se (without acidosis). Given our study design, it is difficult to delineate the effects of acidosis vs hyperchloremia. Indeed, it is clear that not all acidosis is the same and, for example, respiratory acidosis may have completely different effects compared to metabolic acidosis.27 It is entirely possible that different types of metabolic acidosis also have different effects. Second, our study does not address the physiologic mechanisms responsible for the decrease in MAP seen with hyperchloremic acidosis (ie, decreased cardiac output vs decreased systemic vascular resistance). Our finding that NO was increased was only in the moderate acidosis group, yet severely acidotic animals were most hypotensive. Importantly, the targeted SBE was reached later in group 3 than in other two groups, and also the SBE at 3 h was not different between groups 2 and 3. Finally, despite evidence suggesting a plausible link between acidosis and inflammatory mediator release,12 13 we could not demonstrate a consistent relationship between these variables. This may have been due, in part, to the confounding effects of a variety stimuli on cytokine release.34 For example, hypotension itself is known to influence cytokine release.35 Thus, experiments using isolated inflammatory cells, rather than intact animals, may be better suited to explore this relationship.
| Conclusion |
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| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Support for this project was provided, in part, by a grant from Abbott Laboratories and by the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine.
Received for publication March 19, 2003. Accepted for publication June 19, 2003.
| References |
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B activation. J Biol Chem 1998;273,5086-5092This article has been cited by other articles:
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J. L. Gomez, K. J. Gunnerson, M. Song, J. Li, and J. A. Kellum Effects of Hypercapnia on BP in Hypoalbuminemic and Nagase Analbuminemic Rats Chest, May 1, 2007; 131(5): 1295 - 1300. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. A. Kellum, M. Song, and E. Almasri Hyperchloremic acidosis increases circulating inflammatory molecules in experimental sepsis. Chest, October 1, 2006; 130(4): 962 - 967. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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