Effects of dietary fluoride and magnesium supplements on cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), calcium and magnesium levels in aorta of genetically hypercholesterolaemic RICO rats

Abstract

Previous observations have suggested that low intakes of fluoride prevent pathological calcifications of internal organs, including the aortic wall, in experimental animals, fed a basically low magnesium diet. Our group found recently that fluoride has some potentially preventive effect against atherosclerotic serum lipid profiles in genetically hypercholesterolaemic rats. To study whether the apparently positive potential of fluoride against atherosclerosis is also reflected in aortic tissue, through its well known activation of adenylate cyclase, the aortic cAMP content of the rats used in our recent study was determined. Out of a total of 56 male RICO rats, mean weight 160 g, the control group C was fed an adequate diet, with 44% sucrose, a magnesium content of 883 p.p.m. and with 0.5% cholesterol. Group D had the same diet as group C except that the magnesium content was reduced to 200 p.p.m. Group E had the same diet as group D but with the fluoride content elevated from 1.9 to 12 p.p.m. Group G had the same diet as group E but with the magnesium content elevated from 200 to 300 p.p.m. After a feeding period of 6 weeks, the aortas of the animals were removed, cleaned and kept at -70°C until analysed. The mean cAMP content of the aortas, measured by radioimmunoassay, in groups C, D, E and G was 439, 546, 681, and 1394 μmol mg^-1 protein, respectively. In group G only, the cAMP content was significantly higher than that of the other groups (p<0.001). The mean calcium and magnesium contents of the aortas of different groups did not significantly differ from each other. Thus in RICO rats, fed a high-sugar low-magnesium diet with cholesterol, supplementation of the diet with a small amount of fluoride elevates the cAMP content of the aorta, provided that the intake of Mg is not very low.

Key Words:

• aorta
• calcium
• cAMP
• cholesterol
• diet
• fluoride
• magnesium
• RICO rat