Nutritional Aspects of Magnesium Metabolism

The absolute necessity for magnesium in plant and animal nutrition is easily appreciated when one realizes that magnesium is found in high concentration in cells. It is necessary for photosynthesis in plants and for all reactions involving adenosine triphosphate in plant and animal cells. Although it is abundant in nature in general, deficiencies occur in both plants and animals. Human beings need about 5 mg of magnesium per kg of body weight per day. Infants and young children need twice as much. Children and women during pregnancy or lactation require significantly greater amounts than normal adults. Various diseases result in a deficiency of magnesium because of interruption of food intake or intestinal or renal wasting of the mineral.     

Magnesium contents of leukemic lymphocytes

In this study, magnesium concentrations were measured in lymphocytes from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), chronic megalositer leukemia (KML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) before and after chemotherapy management, and results were compared with those of control subjects. Magnesium concentrations were higher in the patient groups compared with control values. However, no meaningful differences were found among magnesium concentrations of the patient groups themselves. Similarly, no statistically meaningful differences were found between lymphocyte magnesium concentrations before and after chemotherapy management in the patient groups. In the inter-correlation analysis, we observed no correlations between pre- and post-magnesium concentrations in patients' lymphocytes. It has been suggested that magnesium concentrations of leukemic lymphocytes might increase due to the high ATP requirement of the leukemic cells since magnesium is known to play an important part as a cofactor in most of the energy-producing reactions.     

Magnesium potentiation of iron-transferrin binding

The binding of iron to transferrin was studied by loading iron (III) onto apotransferrin in a chloride and a nitrilotriacetate form. When magnesium was added, a marked increase occurred in both the rate of iron binding and the maximum level of iron loaded on transferrin utilizing either iron salt. In the absence of magnesium the amount of iron required to achieve 50 percent saturation of the binding sites was 1.6 x 10(-4) M, whereas when magnesium was added, only about one-third as much iron (0.54 x 10(-4) M) was required. These data suggest an allosteric effect on transferrin by magnesium which potentiates iron (III) binding.     

Magnesium profile in autism

The aim of the present study was to determine and compare plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of magnesium in 12 autistic children (10 boys, 2 girls), 17 children with other autistic spectrum disorders (14 boys, 3 girls), 5 girls with classic Rett syndrome, and 14 normal children (7 boys, 7 girls) of the same age. No differences in intracellular Mg were found between controls and pathological subjects; however, autistic children and children with other autistic spectrum disorders had significantly lower plasma concentrations of Mg than normal subjects (p=0.013 and p=0.02, respectively). Although our study population was small, we conclude that children with autistic spectrum disorders require special dietary management. If these cases are diagnosed at an early stage, they can be helped through diet.     

Magnesium uptake by soybeans

Magnesium contents of soybean (Glycine max) roots increase and the K and Ca contents decrease with increased MgCl₂ concentrations in ambient solutions. The Mg uptake is inhibited when both Ca and K are present in the solution, but not by K or Ca alone. Chloride uptake, which is very low from the MgCl₂ solution, is greatly enhanced by the presence of K. The selectivity against Mg imparted by K + Ca appears to be at an external barrier for cation uptake as shown by its dependence on the presence of Ca in the external solution. The Ca content of roots is influenced only slightly by changes in external Ca concentrations from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻²m, but that of shoots is greatly enhanced as the Ca concentration is increased or the K concentration is decreased. These effects on Ca contents are explained as arising from transport to the shoot without involvement of vacuoles of root cells.     

Magnesium transport by mitochondria

The pathways for the uptake and extrusion of Mg²⁺ by mitochondria are not well defined. the present evidence suggests that uptake occurs by nonspecific diffusive pathways in response to elevated membrane potential. There is disagreement as to some of the properties of Mg²⁺ efflux from mitochondria, but the reaction resembles K⁺ efflux in many ways and may occur in exchange for H⁺. Matrix free magnesium ion concentration, [Mg²⁺], can be measured using fluorescent probes and is set very close to cytosol [Mg²⁺] by a balance between influx and efflux and by the availability of ligands, such as P_i. There are indications that matrix [Mg²⁺] may be under hormonal control and that it contributes to the regulation of mitochondrial metabolism and transport reactions.