The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide is useful for analyzing ion transport, pH regulation, and fluid formation in developing central nervous system. We used the 14C-labeled dimethadione technique to measure alterations in steady-state pH, and to estimate the HCO3 concentration [HCO3], in choroid plexus (CP), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and cerebral cortex of 1- and 3-wk-old Sprague-Dawley rats treated with acetazolamide or probenecid. These drugs can suppress transport of HCO3 and other anions in some cells, consequently altering intracellular pH. In 1-wk-old infant rats whose CSF secretory process is incompletely developed, 1 h of acetazolamide treatment did not significantly change CP intracellular pH or [HCO3]. However, in 3-wk-old rats, in which the ability of CP to secrete ions and fluids is almost fully developed, acetazolamide caused marked increases in CP cell intracellular pH and [HCO3]. In contrast, acetazolamide-induced alkalinization was not observed in CSF or cerebral cortex of the 1- and 3-wk-old animals. The other test agent, probenecid (an inhibitor of anion transport but not of carbonic anhydrase), did not alter the pH of any region at any age investigated. Overall, the results are interpreted in light of developmental changes in carbonic anhydrase and previous findings from kinetic analyses of ion-translocating systems in CP. Acetazolamide may interfere with a CP apical membrane HCO3 extrusion mechanism not fully operational in infant rats.
