Iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation in aortic cells in vitro: protective effect of extracellular magnesium

Low serum Mg2+ has been associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular pathology in human populations. We investigated the effect of extracellular Mg2+ on Fe-catalyzed lipid peroxidation in rat aortic segments and in human aortic smooth muscle cells. Products of phospholipid oxidation [malonaldehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxyalkenals (4-HA)], loss of fatty acyl double bonds (by proton-NMR) and glutathione levels indicated that exogenous ferric ions were several-fold more effective than ferrous ions in causing lipid peroxidation. Increased peroxidation was detectable at <1.0 μM Fe3+. Exogenous ferric iron-ionophore, 8-hydroxyquinoline, did not increase peroxidation by ferric ion, suggesting that Fe-catalyzed lipid peroxidation occurred at the cell surface. As ionized serum [Mg2+]o was lowered from the physiological (0.7–0.96 mM) into the pathophysiological range (0.3–0.5 mM) in Fe3+-containing medium, MDA/4-HA levels increased two to three-fold, with a concomitant loss of fatty acyl double bonds and decreased extracellular glutathione. Conversely, MDA/4-HA decreased as ionized Mg2+ was increased, accompanied by a rise in extracellular glutathione. The results indicate that Mg2+ protects aortic cell plasma membranes from ferric iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation and that this is a contributing factor in the protective action of ionized Mg2+ on the cardiovascular system.