Studies on the modification of the cellular response to injury. IV. Protective effect of extracellular acidosis against anoxia,thermal, and p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonic acid treatment of isolated rat liver cells

Isolated rat liver cells were exposed $\text{in}$$\text{vitro}$ to ageing in an aerobic condition and to the effects of anoxia, thermal and $\text{p}$-chloromercuribenzene sulfonic (PCMBS) acid treatment, The survival of the cells was studied at normal and acidic pH using vital dye staining, intracellular concentration of potassium and ATP as indicators of viability. In aerobic conditions at pH 7.4, control cells lost their viability within approximately 6 hours. Extracellular acidosis not only prolonged the life span of isolated control hepatocytes against mechanical and other possible stress factors associated with the incubation and the absence of substrates in the medium, but also protected the cells significantly against various other superimposed injurious effects. These observations augment our previous observations on Ehrlich ascites tumore cells and lend further support to the hypothesis that extracellular acidosis, a common phenomenon associated with cell injury, is not harmful to cell survival $\text{in}$$\text{vitro}$ evidently prolongs it. The mechanism(s) behind this effect is not fully understood but it is suggested that extracellular acidosis stabilizes, and thereby protects cellular membrane systems making them more resistant to various deteriorating effects.