Related Experiment Videos
Relationship between intracellular proton buffering capacity and intracellular pH
1Renal Research Laboratory, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom.
Kidney International
|January 1, 1992
Summary
This study challenges the traditional understanding of intracellular proton buffering power, suggesting it may decrease as intracellular pH (pHi) falls. Researchers re-evaluated buffering definitions to analyze human leucocytes across a wide pHi range.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The conventional understanding posits that intracellular buffering power increases as intracellular pH (pHi) decreases.
- A recent publication challenged this view, proposing an inverse relationship and redefining buffering to avoid logarithmic function bias.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between intracellular pH (pHi) and buffering power in human peripheral leucocytes.
- To compare the conventional definition of buffering power with a new "buffering coefficient" definition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the pH-sensitive fluorophore BCECF to monitor pHi in human peripheral leucocytes.
- Perturbed pHi using rapid ammonia diffusion in both bicarbonate-containing ("open") and Hepes-buffered ("closed") systems.
- Analyzed buffering capacity across a wide pHi range (6.0–7.5) using both conventional and new definitions.
Main Results:
- The study re-examined the relationship between pHi and buffering power using two distinct analytical approaches.
- Data was collected from human peripheral leucocytes over an extensive pHi range (6.0 to 7.5).
- Both "open" (bicarbonate) and "closed" (Hepes-buffered) systems were analyzed.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide new insights into the behavior of intracellular proton buffering.
- The study contributes to a refined understanding of cellular acid-base balance and buffering mechanisms.