Mg content of healthy and chronically diseased human cancellous bone in relation to age and some physical and chemical factors.

The magnesium (Mg) content of human cancellous bone was studied in relation to its elemental composition and mineral density. The material was collected from 138 cadavers consisting men and women of different ages. Duplicate specimens from anterior iliac crest (one macerated and one fixed with alcohol) were obtained from individuals who had died suddenly or whose deaths were due to chronic immobilizing diseases. The cation concentrations were analyzed with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, fluoride with the ion specific electrode, from macerated samples. The samples fixed in alcohol were used for determination of the mineral density with gamma rat attenuation. The mean Mg concentration (+/- SD) was 2.84 +/- 0.29 mg/g in the samples obtained from individuals who had died suddenly with no correlation with age. In the group with chronic diseases the mean Mg levels decreased slightly with increasing age. There was a significant, positive correlation between the Mg and Ca concentrations. In the linear regression analysis 16.4% of the variance of Mg concentration was accounted for by Ca. This relationship was more evident in men than in women. Only the postmenopausal women suffering from chronic diseases and having bone loss showed correlation between the bone Mg and Ca contents. The Mg/Ca ratio in men was quite constant and did not change significantly with age. In women the Mg/Ca ratio versus age showed no statistically significant relationship. The correlation between Mg and other elements was weak. The weak relationships between F and Zn to Mg clearly have no significant effect on the contents of these elements in bone.