Tris base, also referred as THAM or Trizma^® base, plays a vital role in various research applications as a biological buffer. It is commonly employed in buffer formulations like TAE and TBE buffers, thanks to its pKa of 8.06, which makes it suitable for maintaining pH within the physiological range (pH 7.0-9.0) for most living organisms. However, it is important to exercise caution when studying proteins, as Tris may interfere with the activity of certain enzymes. This versatile compound is indispensable in laboratories, where it is utilized to prepare buffers compatible with biological fluids, serve as a standard pH solution, and facilitate procedures such as lactate dehydrogenase assays, in situ hybridization, and protein extraction from cells. Moreover, Tris base finds applications in biochemistry and molecular biology labs aiding in cell membrane permeability studies and buffer preparation.

Tris buffer has been used to stabilize the pH, facilitating the measurement of cytotoxicity using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) colorimetric cytotoxicity assay in cancer research. Additionally, it was utilized in this study to regulate the pH of the incubation medium to assess the glucose secretion as a response mediated by glucocorticoids in metabolic pathways.

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The pH values of all buffers are temperature- and concentration-dependent. For Tris buffers, pH increases about 0.03 unit per °C decrease in temperature, and decreases 0.03-0.05 unit per ten-fold dilution.
For precise applications, use a carefully calibrated pH meter with a glass/calomel combination electrode.

Trizma is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany