Metabolic inter‐relationships of intracellular pH measured by double‐barrelled micro‐electrodes in perfused rat liver.

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Abstract
Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured under differing conditions in the functionally isolated, perfused rat liver using double-barrelled recessed-tip micro-electrodes. Under normal acid-base conditions mean hepatic pHi was 7.18. Over the range studied, hepatic pHi was negatively and linearly related to the logarithm of perfusate PCO2 [CO2 partial pressure]. Measurement of pHi together with measurement of pHe [external pH] and intracellular and extracellular lactate concentrations suggested a non-equilibrium distribution of lactate and lactic acid across the hepatic cell membrane requiring an active transport process for entry of lactate to the cell. Upon addition of D-fructose (10 mM) to the perfusate there was a rapid fall in pHi of between 0.2 and 0.54 units, which was substantially greater than observed in earlier similar experiments in which 31P-NMR was used to measure pHi. Reasons for this discrepancy are considered.