The Effects of Acid-Base Balance on the Diuresis Produced by Organic and Inorganic Mercurials1

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Abstract
The potentiation of mercurial diuretics by acid-forming salts was studied by 2 approaches. First, the effects of varying doses of meralluride and a mercuric .salt, mercuric cysteine, or chloruresis were compared in normal, acidotic (NH4CI) and alkalotic (NaHCO3) dogs. The mercuric salt is a much more potent chloruretic and it is influenced to a much smaller extent by changes in acid-base balance than is meralluride. This indicates that a major part of potentiation by acid-forming salts is related to the relative ease of release of mercuric ions from organic mercurials in acid media. Second, dogs received hypertonic infusions which kept plasma chloride concentration and glomerular filtration rate elevated, while the acid-base balance was varied by the infusion of other anions, i.e. nitrate, sulfate, and bicarbonate. Under these circumstances, with almost identical chloride load, bicarbonate inhibited the mercurial effect, while nitrate and sulfate did not. This finding emphasizes the role of pH in determining mercurial effectiveness.