Effect of magnesium on passive fluxes of lithium in the human erythrocyte

Abstract

Extracellular Mg2+ is known to inhibit the passive Na+ and K+ fluxes in the human erythrocyte. In this study the effect of extracellular Mg2+ on Li+ efflux was measured in erythrocytes from 29 normotensive and essential hypertensive subjects. Magnesium produced a variable inhibition of between 0 and 47% in Li+ efflux in different subjects and this effect was unrelated to initial cell Li+, blood pressure or to an action on the co- or counter-transport pathways for this cation. A positive correlation was observed between the magnitude of the passive Li+ efflux and its inhibition (0 to 47%) by Mg2+ ions. Thus Mg2+ has an inhibitory effect on passive Li+ permeability which is unrelated to essential hypertension.