Metabolic alkalosis has previously been shown to have an antimagnesiuric influence. To further clarify this phenomenon, short-term clearance studies were performed on intact anesthetized rats subjected to 0.9% saline infusion, 0.15 M NaHCO3 infusion or acute respiratory alkalosis. The experimental protocols resulted in a similar degree of natriuresis in each of the three groups. The increase in plasma pH value was similar both in animals treated with NaHCO3 and animals with respiratory alkalosis. Filtered loads of Mg did not differ in the three experimental groups. However, only acute metabolic alkalosis was associated with a reduction in the absolute rate of Mg excretion (saline: 0.49 +/- 0.05 mu Eq/min; 0.15 M NaHCO3: 0.29 +/- 0.04 mu Eq/min; acute respiratory alkalosis: 0.48 +/- 0.03 mu Eq/min) and fractional Mg excretion (saline: 40.3 +/- 5.3%; 0.15 NaHCO3: 18.7 +/- 1.4%; acute respiratory alkalosis: 37.2 +/- 6.9%). A similar decrease in urinary Mg excretion in animals treated with bicarbonate infusion was observed following removal of the parathyroid gland. Moreover, for any given rate of urinary Na excretion, Mg excretion was lower in bicarbonate-treated animals than in rats infused with saline solution. Intact animals treated with increasing doses of NaHCO3 revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between the Mg to Na clearance ratio and urinary and plasma bicarbonate concentration. In contrast, such a correlation was not observed during respiratory alkalosis. The findings suggest that bicarbonate ion directly stimulates tubular magnesium reabsorption independent of the presence or absence of parathyroid hormone.