[Magnesium and N-type calcium channel].

Magnesium has been known to inhibit calcium influx via L-type calcium channel in vascular smooth muscle cells and thus cause vasodilation and hypotension. Moreover, it was reported that magnesium also modulates barofunction. Therefore we speculated that magnesium has inhibitory effect on sympathetic tone and we showed that magnesium inhibit norepinephrine release from peripheral sympathetic nerve endings. Also we showed that this effect was by inhibiting calcium influx from N-type calcium channel. These effect may explain organ protective effect of magnesium in acute myocardial infarction and also a new therapeutic target in treating hypertensives.