Extracellular pH affects the fluorescence lifetimes of metabolic co-factors. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • SIGNIFICANCE: Autofluorescence measurements of the metabolic cofactors NADH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) provide a label-free method to quantify cellular metabolism. However, the effect of extracellular pH on flavin lifetimes is currently unknown. AIM: To quantify the relationship between extracellular pH and the fluorescence lifetimes of FAD, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) [NAD(P)H]. APPROACH: Human breast cancer (BT474) and HeLa cells were placed in pH-adjusted media. Images of an intracellular pH indicator or endogenous fluorescence were acquired using two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging. Fluorescence lifetimes of FAD and FMN in solutions were quantified over the same pH range. RESULTS: The relationship between intracellular and extracellular pH was linear in both cell lines. Between extracellular pH 4 to 9, FAD mean lifetimes increased with increasing pH. NAD(P)H mean lifetimes decreased with increasing pH between extracellular pH 5 to 9. The relationship between NAD(P)H lifetime and extracellular pH differed between the two cell lines. Fluorescence lifetimes of FAD, FAD-cholesterol oxidase, and FMN solutions decreased, showed no trend, and showed no trend, respectively, with increasing pH. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in endogenous fluorescence lifetimes with extracellular pH are mostly due to indirect changes within the cell rather than direct pH quenching of the endogenous molecules.

published proceedings

  • J Biomed Opt

altmetric score

  • 8.35

author list (cited authors)

  • Schmitz, R., Tweed, K., Walsh, C., Walsh, A. J., & Skala, M. C.

citation count

  • 6

publication date

  • May 2021