Physiological effects of pH changes on colloid osmotic pressures

Abstract

Our purpose was to explore the effects of variations in pH, particularly in the physiological range, on the colloid osmotic pressure (COP) of the body's fluids. Theoretically, changing pH would alter the electrical charge density on plasma proteins and the interstitial ground substance, thereby altering plasma and interstitial protein osmotic pressure as well as interstitial fluid pressure. We found that the COP of human plasma, human albumin, bovine albumin, and Wharton's jelly from human umbilical cords increased linearly as pH increased over the range of 6.0-8.0. COP of plasma and the albumins all displayed essentially the same sensitivity to pH. At equal concentrations, hyaluronate in umbilical cords was approximately 16 times more sensitive to pH than was plasma. Dextran 70 displayed no COP dependency on pH. For plasma, the albumins, and hyaluronate the pH dependence of COP on pH also decreased linearly with concentration (C in g/dl). For plasma and the albumins over the physiological range of pH, COP = COPpH 7.4 [1.00 + 0.01C (pH -7.40)] at 37 degrees C. The data suggest that, relative to the normal net transcapillary pressure gradient, physiological variations in pH affect plasma COP as well as interstitial fluid pressure and thus may play a significant role in regulating the body's fluid distribution.