Organ and Whole Body Cell pH 1

Abstract

Summary

Intracellular pH values of 11 organs of the rat were compared with whole body cell pH calculated from the distribution of tritiated water, ¹⁴C-DMO, and ³⁶Cl. Heart and skeletal muscle cell pH were similar to whole body cell pH; testes, lung, kidney, intestines, skin, liver, and skeleton were higher while brain and spleen were lower. When sulfate rather than chloride spaces were used as an estimate of extracellular fluid volume, skeletal muscle pH was little changed but spleen and kidney were higher and skin and liver were lower.

The close approximation of skeletal muscle and whole body cell pH is due to the large fraction of isotopes present in muscle and the lack of significant or large disproportionate collection of isotopes elsewhere.