The Effect of Dietary Magnesium and Thyroxine on Progression and Regression of Cardiovascular Lipid Deposition in the Rat

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Abstract
Young male rats were fed an “atherogenic” diet (containing cholesterol and cholic acid) and two levels of dietary magnesium. The calcium content of the diet was 600 mg/100 gm. At sacrifice, rats fed low-dietary magnesium had a heart valve-aorta score (vascular lipidosis) of 4.8 at 24 days and a slightly higher heart score at the end of 60 days. If at the end of 24 days rats previously fed the low-magnesium diets were fed diets high in magnesium (192 mg/100 gm), there was no increase in the heart score at 60 days. Animals fed high-magnesium diets had a heart score of only three after 24 days which was lowered to 1.5 at the end of 60 days. Thus, feeding high dietary magnesium appeared to result in some regression of vascular lipidosis as well as to exert an “anti-sudanophilic” effect. The addition of thyroxine to the diet caused a definite regression in vascular sudanophilia which was probably related in part to decreased serum cholesterol levels. There was a significant increase in the heart valve-aorta sudanophilia in the low-magnesium-fed rats after 6 to 12 months and several showed grossly visible aortic intimal plaques. Despite prolonged (6 to 12 months) hypercholesterolemia and the presence of extensive medial calcification of medium-sized arteries, such arteries exhibited no intimal plaque formation.