title: Magnesium aspartate hydrochloride attenuates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary artery hypertension in rats.
abstract: 1. The effect of oral magnesium aspartate hydrochloride on monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension was evaluated in rats. 2. A single subcutaneous injection of MCT, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid of plant origin, induces significant morphological changes in pulmonary vessels, pulmonary arterial hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in rats by 3 weeks. 3. Two groups of rats (Mg2+ control and Mg2+ + MCT) were started on oral Mg2+ (15.4 g/l magnesium aspartate hydrochloride dissolved in deionized water) 2 weeks before the MCT injection. The rest were given deionized water. At the start of the experiment, the control groups (deionized water and Mg2+) were given normal saline subcutaneously; the other groups (deionized water and Mg2+) were given MCT (60 mg/kg) subcutaneously. 4. Pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, lung pathology, organ weights and serum electrolytes were assessed 3 weeks after a single subcutaneous injection of MCT. Seventy-five per cent of the rats treated with MCT and oral Mg2+ (12 out of 16) showed significant reduction in pulmonary arterial hypertension, arterial pathology and right ventricular hypertrophy. 5. Our data indicate that Mg2+ attenuates experimentally induced pulmonary hypertension, possibly either by modulating the intracellular Ca2+ level and/or by directly affecting the pulmonary endothelial cell-smooth muscle cell complex involved in metabolism and maintenance of pulmonary vascular resistance.
authors.affiliation: Schneider Children's Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York, New York.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Gloster
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Altura
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Altura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology; D011763:Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012674:Senecio
chemical_list: D011763:Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D016686:Monocrotaline; D008274:Magnesium