Intralymphocyte magnesium decrease in patients with primary aldosteronism. Possible links with cardiac remodelling

Our group have described a group of patients with primary aldosteronism which is characterized by significantly decreased intralymphocyte ionized magnesium concentration. Some models of experimental hyperaldosteronism are characterized by cardiovascular fibrosis but despite this fact the link between a negative magnesium balance and fibrosis is lacking. Consequently, to shed some light on the relationships between magnesium and tissue fibrosis we tested the in vitro effects of incubating human fibroblasts in low magnesium medium on mRNA collagen I and III gene expression by northern blot analysis. Both collagen I and III mRNA gene expression were increased by magnesium deprivation. The increase in collagen expression was similar for both collagen I and III. These data are in favour of a potential link between magnesium homeostasis and collagen synthesis. A physiopathologic mechanism linking magnesium homeostasis to the state of collagen turnover may have important clinical correlates such as cardiac remodelling in congestive heart failure.