HEPATIC INTRACELLULAR PH INVIVO USING F-QUENE-1 AND F-19 NMR-SPECTROSCOPY

Intracellular pH (pHi) has been determined in vivo in livers from anaesthetized rats using both 31P NMR and 19F NMR spectroscopy. In the 31P NMR study pH, determined from the chemical shift of endogenous Pi, was found to be 7.26 ± 0.02. In the 19F NMR study on a separate group of animals pHi was determined from the chemical shift of F‐Quene 1 infused via the portal vein and found to be 7.18 ± 0.01. In approximately half of the 19F NMR studies no 19F signal could be detected in the liver probably because of loss of F‐Quene 1 in the circulation. The small discrepancy between pHi determined by the two probes could be caused by different intra‐ or intercellular distributions or by unknown effects of F‐Quene 1 on metabolism. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc. Copyright © 1991 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company