Observational study reveals low intracellular pH correlates with low birth weight and insulin resistance in adults, suggesting an early cellular programming mechanism.
Key Points
To determine whether sodium-hydrogen exchange and sodium-lithium countertransport in adults are predicted by birth anthropometry and associated with insulin resistance syndrome markers.
Measured red blood cell sodium-lithium countertransport (SLC) in 26 adults.
Assessed sodium-hydrogen exchange (NHE) kinetics and intracellular pH (pHi) in dermal fibroblasts from 15 adults with birth anthropometric data.
Red blood cell SLC activity correlated with LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and urate (r = 0.42 to 0.49; 0.01 < P < 0.05), but showed no association with birth anthropometry.
Fibroblast NHE Vmax correlated with plasma insulin (r = 0.80; P < 0.001), but birth weight did not correlate with NHE Vmax, Km, or Hill coefficient.
Intracellular pH correlated with birth weight (r = 0.74; P = 0.002), insulin sensitivity (r = 0.52; P < 0.05), fasting glucose (r = -0.52; P < 0.05), 2-hour insulin (r = 0.51; P < 0.05), and 2-hour glucose (r = -0.54; P < 0.05).