pH in human tumour xenografts: effect of intravenous administration of glucose

pH frequency distributions of tumours grown s.c. from 30 human tumour xenograft lines in rnu/rnu rats were analysed with the use of H+ ion-sensitive semi-microelectrodes prior to and following stimulation of tumour cell glycolysis by i.v. infusion of glucose. At normoglycemia, the average pH of the tumours investigated was 6.83 (range, 6.72-7.01; n = 268). Without exception, all xenografts responded to the temporary increase in plasma glucose concentration (PGC) from 6 +/- 1 to 30 +/- 3 mM by an accumulation of acidic metabolites, as indicated by a pH reduction to an average value of 6.43 (range, 6.12-6.78; n = 292). This pH value corresponds to a ten-fold increase in H+ ion activity in tumour tissue as compared to arterial blood. Tumour pH approached minimum values at 2-4 h after the onset of glucose administration and could be maintained at acidic levels for 24 h by controlled glucose infusion. Irrespective of pH variations between tumours grown from individual xenograft lines, there was no major difference in pH response to glucose between the four main histopathological tumour entities investigated, i.e. breast, lung and gastrointestinal carcinomas, and sarcomas. In tumours from several xenograft lines, an increase in blood glucose to only 2.5-times the normal value (14 mM) was sufficient to reduce the mean pH to 6.4. Glucose-induced acidosis was tumour-specific. The pH frequency distributions in liver, kidney and skeletal muscle of tumour-bearing rnu/rnu rats were only marginally sensitive to hyperglycemia (average pH, 6.97 vs normal value of 7.14). Tumour-selective activation of pH-sensitive anti-cancer agents, e.g. alkylating drugs, acid-labile prodrugs or pH-sensitive immunoconjugates may thus be feasible in a wide variety of human cancers.