[Magnesium and cardiovasvular regulatory factor]

Magnesium ions (Mg(2+)) modulate cardiovascular cell function by suppressing Ca(2+) influx. Mg(2+) inhibit ion channels, including voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in cardiac myocytes, non-selective cation channels in smooth muscle cells and capacitative Ca(2+) channels in endothelial cells. Although the inhibitory action of Mg(2+) is not so efficacious as organic Ca antagonists, Mg(2+) exert cardioprotective action by antiarrhythmic action, decreasing cell injury, including cell death, induced by ischemia-reperfusion and suppression of myocardial stunning. On the other hand, depletion of intracellular Mg(2+) is an important factor to aggravate various types of cardiovascular disorder. Mg(2+) play a crucial role in pharmacological therapy in not only cardiovascular medicine, but also in cardiac and brain surgery and in the field of anesthesiology and obstetrics.