Effects of Dietary Magnesium and/or Manganese Variables on the Growth Rate and Metabolism of Mice

Abstract

The effects of seven feeding schedules differing only in their Mg and Mn contents on the growth rates and some metabolic aspects of Swiss albino female mice were studied. The animals were placed for 5 weeks on the seven dietary regimens and weighed weekly according to the following scheme: (1) normal diet fed (control) group; (2) Mg-deficient fed group; (3) Mn-deficient fed group; (4) coupled-deficient fed group; (5) Mg-supplemented fed group; (6) Mn-supplemented fed group, and (7) coupled-supplemented fed group. Dietary Mg and/or Mn deficiencies were found to exert unfavorable effects on the growth rate of the animals. However, dietary supplementation of Mg has a favorable influence on the growth rate of the animals. Also, several biochemical tests on the plasma and livers of the tested animals were carried out and discussed accordingly.

Dietary manganese suppresses α1 adrenergic receptor-mediated vascular contraction

“…The retardation of growth was independent of the animals' dietary food intake (data not shown). Retardation of rodent growth in Mn deficiency has also been reported by previous studies [22][23][24][33][34][35], and it seems to be an effect of reduced efficiency of food conversion with the dietary Mn depletion [24,25]. The decrease in liver weight in MnD rats was proportional to the decrease in body weight in MnD animals.…”

Dietary manganese affects the concentration, composition and sulfation pattern of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans in Sprague-Dawley rat aorta

“…The retardation of growth observed in MnD animals was independent of food intake. Retardation of rodent growth in Mn deficiency has also been reported by previous studies (Paynter 1980;Fahim et al 1990;Klimis-Tavantzis et al 1993;Taylor et al 1997) and it seems to be an effect of reduced efficiency of food conversion with dietary Mn depletion (Yang & Klimis-Tavantzis 1998a).…”