EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL pH ON THE PRODUCTION OF HEMATOPOIETIC GROWTH FACTORS

Cellular and tissue activities highly depend on environmental pH. Murine lung tissue, when cultured properly in-vitro, is a potent producer of hematopoietic growth factors. We have studied the effect of pH on the production of hematopoietic growth factors and protein synthesis by the murine lung in-vitro. Various concentrations of NaHC03 were used to adjust the pH of the culture medium under constant CO, partial pressure. The results indicated that hematopoietic growth factor production and protein synthesis by the lung were pH dependent. This dependency was not a result of variations in cation (N concentration in the culture medium because N reconstituted samples showed the same pattern of dependency on pH as did the unreconstituted samples. Maximum rate of protein synthesis by the lung was at pH 7. 6. However, the maximum rate of specific production of hematopoietic growth factors was observed at pH 8