Effects of pH-variations on the kinetics of growth and energy metabolism in cultured T-lymphoma cells: a microcalorimetric study.

The progression of T-lymphoma cells (CCRF-CEM) growing in suspension has been monitored during long term (12-28 h) batch experiments using microcalorimetry. In parallel with the calorimetric measurements, changes in cell concentration, pH, p(O2) and concentrations of the main energy sources (glucose and glutamine) were determined. The overall metabolic rate per cell (as reflected by the heat production rate per cell, Pcell) and the growth rate decreased with time. These changes could be attributed solely to the decrease in pH of the medium until the total heat production, Q, exceeded 1.2 J per ml (corresponding to an incubation time of 20 h of a batch having an initial cell concentration of 1 x 10(6) cells per ml). The lowering of p(O2) to a level of 0.02 mmol/l or the decrease in concentrations of glucose and glutamine to 7.7 and 1.3 mmol/l, respectively, did not influence Pcell or the growth pattern. No "crowding effect" was observed for the cells in the investigated concentration range (0.6-1.3) x 10(6) cells per ml.