[The interplay of magnesium and vitamin K2 on bone mineralization]

Magnesium (Mg) is most likely restored in bone matrix, implicating a pivotal role in bone mineralization. Mg-insufficient bone reveals fragility to mechanical loading despite normal or higher levels of bone mineral content, permitting stimulated osteoclastic bone resorption. In contrast, vitamin K(2) (MK-4:menatetrenone) inhibited osteoclastic bone resorption stimulated by the Mg-insufficiency, thereby normalizing bone remodeling. The Mg-insufficiency caused an increased concentration of calcium, which resulted in an extremely-high purity of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal [Ca(10)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2)] and accelerated mineralization in bone. In contrast, MK-4 did not affect the calcium-concentration nor HA-purity, but repressed mineralization accelerated by Mg-insufficiency. Thus, MK-4 appears to recover the "bone quality" lessened by the Mg-insufficiency by two mechanisms:controlling bone turnover and mineralization.