title: Beneficial effects of a calcium antagonist, nifedipine, on death and cardiovascular calcinosis induced by dietary magnesium deficiency in adult mice.
abstract: The effects of nifedipine on the survival rate and the cardiovascular calcinosis were investigated in dietary magnesium (Mg)-deficient mice. Male mice aged 8 to 10 weeks were fed with a diet which was either normal (0.07%) or deficient (0.007%) in Mg for 30 d. Nifedipine was added to the Mg-deficient diet for 30 d in a concentration of 1000 ppm. About 65% of Mg-deficient mice died within 30 d. In contrast, all the nifedipine-treated mice survived for 30 d. Mg-deficient mice showed hypomagnesaemia and hypocalcaemia which were not influenced by nifedipine treatment. Aortic and cardiac calcium contents increased in Mg-deficient mice, and these increments were normalized by nifedipine treatment. These results suggest that the life-saving effect of nifedipine in Mg-deficient mice might relate, at least in part, to the prevention of a deleterious increase in Ca in cardiovascular tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D008274:Magnesium / Q000032:analysis; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR / Q000378:metabolism; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D008345:Manganese; D008274:Magnesium; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium