Cellular-free magnesium depletion in brain and muscle of normal and preeclamptic pregnancy: A nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic study

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder of unknown origin, characterized by vasospasm, elevated blood pressure, and increased neuromuscular irritability, features common to syndromes of magnesium deficiency. Evidence of serum and ionized magnesium metabolism disturbances have been observed in women with preeclampsia. This and the therapeutic utility of magnesium in preeclampsia led us to investigate the extent to which an endogenous tissue magnesium deficiency might be present in and contribute to its pathophysiology. We used 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to noninvasively measure in situ intracellular-free magnesium levels in brain and skeletal muscle of fasting nonpregnant wom…