Influence of extracellular magnesium on the contractile and endothelium-dependent dilatory responses of feline mesenteric arteries.

To clarify the effect of extracellular magnesium on the vascular reactivity of feline isolated mesenteric arteries, the effects of slight alterations in the extracellular magnesium concentration on the contractile and endothelium-dependent dilatory responses were investigated in vitro. The contractions, induced by noradrenaline 10(-8)-10(-5) M, were not affected in the mesenteric artery at low extracellular magnesium (0.8 mM versus to the normal, 1.2 mM). High (1.6 and 2.0 mM) magnesium exerted a modest inhibitory effect on the contractile responses. This depression of the contraction was accompanied with a significant shift to the right in the EC50 value for noradrenaline. The endothelium-dependent relaxations induced by acetylcholine 10(-8)-10(-5) M, were inhibited by high (1.6 and 2.0 mM) magnesium. Lowering of the extracellular magnesium concentration to 0.8 mM, however, failed to alter the dilatory potency of acetylcholine. The depression of the dilatory responses was also accompanied with a shift to the right in the EC50 values for acetylcholine. The present results show, that contractions and endothelium-dependent relaxations of the mesenteric artery are modulated by the extracellular magnesium asymmetrically: slight magnesium deficiency does not affect these responses, whereas elevation of the concentration of this ion inhibits both processes. Extracellular magnesium probably affects rather the binding of these contractile and endothelium-dependent dilatory agonists to their receptors than the calcium influx into the endothelial- and smooth muscle cells in this vessel.