title: Magnesium protection against anthracycline toxicity in vitro.
abstract: The clinical usefulness of the antitumour agents daunomycin (DAU) and adriamycin (ADR) is limited by their secondary cardiotoxicity. The anthracycline compounds have a number of detrimental effects on the biochemical and morphological integrity of the cardiac cell which may be related to the accumulation of cellular calcium. Using a model of spontaneously beating, cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, we examined the cardioprotective role of magnesium during 2 hours of exposure to 10, 25 or 50 micrograms/ml DAU. A significant preservation of myocyte membrane integrity and cellular morphology was observed with the addition of equimolar magnesium. Magnesium opposes the actions of calcium in a number of tissues and it may be this calcium antagonist action that makes magnesium effective in DAU toxicity.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Allied Health, St. John's University, Jamaica, New York.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zdanowicz
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barletta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008274:Magnesium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004317:Doxorubicin; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D008274:Magnesium; D003630:Daunorubicin