Magnesium citrate is a magnesium preparation in salt form with citric acid in a 1:1 ratio (1 magnesium atom per citrate molecule). The name "magnesium citrate" is ambiguous and sometimes may refer to other salts such as trimagnesium citrate which has a magnesium:citrate ratio of 3:2. Magnesium citrate is used medicinally as a saline laxative and to completely empty the bowel prior to a major surgery or colonoscopy. It is available without a prescription, both as a generic and under various brand names. It is also used in the pill form as a magnesium dietary supplement. It contains 11.23% magnesium by weight. Compared to trimagnesium citrate, it is much more water-soluble, less alkaline, and contains less magnesium. As a food additive, magnesium citrate is used to regulate acidity and is known as E number E345. Mechanism of action
Magnesium citrate works by attracting water through the tissues by a process known as osmosis. Once in the intestine, it can attract enough water into the intestine to induce defecation. The additional water stimulates bowel motility. This means it can also be used to treat rectal and colon problems. Magnesium citrate functions best on an empty stomach, and should always be followed with a full (eight ounce or 250 ml) glass of water or juice to help the magnesium citrate absorb properly and help prevent any complications. Magnesium citrate solutions generally produce bowel movement in one half to three hours.
These cells produce a large amount of proteins from a small amount of precursors and so are constantly working and under a reasonable amount of stress. So with a mutation in eIF2B, slight increases in the amount of stress these cells encounter occur, making them more susceptible to failure due to stress. The large amount of oligodendrocytes which display apoptotic characteristics and express apoptotic proteins suggests cell number reduction in the early stages of the disease. Premature ovarian failure has also been associated with diminishing white matter. However through an intensive survey, it was determined that even if an individual has premature ovarian failure, she does not necessarily have VWM. eIF2Bs role
eIF2B is the guanine nucleotide-exchange factor for eIF2, and is composed of 5 subunits. The largest subunit, eIF2B5 contains the most mutations for VWM. eIF2B is a complex which is very involved with the regulation of in the translation of mRNA into proteins. eIF2B is essential for the exchange of guanosine diphosphate(GDP) for guanosine-5-triphosphate(GTP) in the initiation of translation via eIF2, because eIF2 is regenerated through this exchange. A decrease in eIF2B activity has been correlated with the onset of VWM. A common factor among VWM patients is mutations in the five subunits of eIF2B (21 discovered thus far), expressed in over 60% of the patients. These mutations lead to the decreased activity of eIF2B. The most common mutation is R113H, which is the mutation of histidine to arginine. The homozygous form of the mutation is the least severe form.