Effect of Tris-Hydroxymethyl Aminomethane on intracellular pH depends on the extracellular non-bicarbonate buffering capacity.

The effect of Tris-Hydroxymethyl Aminomethane (THAM) on intracellular pH (pHi) is unknown. We previously demonstrated that the effect of sodium bicarbonate on pHi depends on the non-bicarbonate buffering system. First, human hepatocytes from hepatocytes cell culture (HepG2) were perfused with an acidotic artificial medium containing 5-mmol/L (H5) or 30-mmol/L (H30) concentrations of 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethane sulfonic acid (HEPES), a non-bicarbonate buffer.