Effects of Dietary Magnesium and Glycyrrhizin on Experimental Atheromatosis of Rats (Long-Term Experiment)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Purified diets containing cholesterol, cholic acid and different levels of magnesium with or without glycyrrhizin and Mg-K-Aspartate were fed to young growing rats for 138 days. The mild diet-induced magnesium deficiency resulted in poor growth, hypomagnesemia, an increased production of atheromatosis of aorta and heart valves, a profound calcification of kidney, an increase of calcium concentration of kidney, a slight decrease of magnesium concentration in kidney and myocardium, increases of cholesterol, glycerol and phosphorus in lipid fraction of serum, and an increase of weight of the liver and spleen. Rats receiving a dietary glycyrrhizin showed an increase of magnesium concentration of myocardium, decrease of magnesium in serum, a decrease of cholesterol in serum, increase of glycerol and phosphorus in lipid fraction from liver and decrease of glycerol and phosphorus in lipid fraction from serum. Rats fed a diet containing 24mg. of magnesium per 100Gm. of diet without cholesterol and cholic acid, showed a conspicuous calcification of kidney, suggesting that 24mg. of magnesium per 100Gm. of diet is insufficient. Rats receiving a dietary magnesium in a form of Aspartate instead of MgO, had a decreased concentration of glycerol and phosphorus of lipid fraction in serum, and an increase of magnesium in myocardium.