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Food mineral composition and acid–base balance in rabbits

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Summary

Background

Alkalirich diets are often recommended in human medicine to prevent the pathological consequences of nutritional acid load in conditions of impaired renal function.

Aim of the study

This study was undertaken in rabbits as common laboratory animals for basic medical research to explore the impact of high versus low dietary alkali intake on systemic acid–base balance and renal control in a typical herbivore.

Methods

Male rabbits (2.3–4.8 kg) were kept in a metabolism cage. The 24h urine and arterial blood samples were analysed for acidbase data. The metabolic CO2 production was measured to calculate alveolar ventilation. Three randomized groups of animals were fed ad libitum with rabbit chow providing sufficient energy but variable alkali load, assessed by the ashes’ cationanion difference.

Results

The average daily nutritional alkali load (± SEM) was 67.1 ± 2.2 mEq · kg–1 (N = 58) in the group on high, 45.4 ± 2.5 mEq · kg–1 (N = 31) in the group on normal and 1.7 ± 0.5 mEq · kg–1 (N = 11) in the group on low alkali food. Respective mean arterial base excess values (BE) were 1.4 ± 0.3 mM, 0.3 ± 0.4 mM and 0.0 ± 0.3 mM, being significantly higher on high alkali food (P < 0.05) than in the other groups. Arterial PCO2, alveolar ventilation and metabolic CO2 production were not significantly different between groups. On normal and high–alkali chow, an alkaline urine (pHu > 8.0) with 18–20mmol· kg–1 bicarbonate/carbonate was excreted daily, typically containing an insoluble precipitate of 35–60% carbonate. On low–alkali diet, the mean pHu decreased to 6.26 ± 0.14, due to a strong reduction of daily excreted soluble bicarbonate and precipitated carbonate to 1.2 ± 0.6 and 0.7 ± 0.2mmol· kg–1, respectively. Thereby, nearly complete fractional base reabsorption of 97.8 ± 0.7 % was reached.

Conclusion

Herbivore nutritional alkaliload elicited large rates of renal base excretion including precipitates, to which the urinary tract of the rabbits appeared to be adapted. Dietary base variations were more accurately reflected in the urine than by the blood acid–base status. A strongly base–deficient diet exerted maximum impact on renal base saving mechanisms, implying a critical precondition for growing susceptibility to metabolic acidosis also in the rabbit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Ruhr-University, 44780, Bochum, Germany

    H. Kiwull-Schöne M.D. & P. Kiwull

  2. Paediatric Clinic, Dortmund, Germany

    H. Kalhoff

  3. Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Dortmund, Germany

    F. Manz

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  1. H. Kiwull-Schöne M.D.
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  2. H. Kalhoff
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  3. F. Manz
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  4. P. Kiwull
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Correspondence to H. Kiwull-Schöne M.D..

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Kiwull-Schöne, H., Kalhoff, H., Manz, F. et al. Food mineral composition and acid–base balance in rabbits. Eur J Nutr 44, 499–508 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-005-0553-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-005-0553-z

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