Effects of magnesium salts in preventing experimental oxalate urolithiasis in rats

Magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium trisilicate, and magnesium citrate were added to a calcium-oxalate lithogenic diet in order to determine their effects in preventing lithogenesis. Male Wistar-strain rats which had been fed the glycolic-acid diet developed marked urinary calculi within four weeks. Rats in the magnesium-hydroxide, magnesium-citrate, and magnesium-trisilicate groups, however, had almost no stones in the urinary system. Rats in the magnesium-oxide and magnesium-sulfate groups showed significantly less effect than those in the former three groups. During the experimental period, the 24-hour urinary oxalate excretion and concentration were higher in the glycolic-acid group than in the other groups. The urinary citrate excretion and concentration were the highest in the magnesium-hydroxide and magnesium-citrate groups and higher in the magnesium-trisilicate and magnesium-oxide groups than in the magnesium-sulfate and glycolic-acid groups. Similar trends were observed in the urinary magnesium excretion and in its concentration. The urinary calcium excretion and concentration were higher in the experimental groups than in the glycolic-acid group. The urinary calcium/magnesium ratio remained mostly unchanged. Therefore, it can be concluded that alkaline magnesium salts increase the urinary calcium and magnesium concentrations, without changing the calcium/magnesium ratio, and inhibit urinary calculi formation, most likely by increasing the urinary citrate concentration.