The effect of glucagon and adrenergic agonists on intracellular pH of isolated rat hepatocytes.

19F NMR was used to measure intracellular [H+] of hepatocytes before and after incubation with glucagon and adrenergic agonists at their concentrations which give maximal stimulation of both glucose and urea production. Intracellular and extracellular pH was determined from the chemical shifts in resonances of alpha-difluoromethylalanine. The alterations in intracellular [H+] with agonist treatment were, in all cases, found to be less than 0.1 pH unit in the pH range 6.7-7.8. It is concluded that changes in concentration of the intracellular [H+] do not play a significant role in the stimulation of urea and glucose production caused by these hormonal effectors.