FIGURE 3.

High Mg²⁺ concentration stimulates CPP2-induced calcification. Ca²⁺ deposition was measured after incubation of VSMCs for 24 h with varying CPP2 concentrations in the presence of 0.8 (control), 2 and 5 mmol/L Mg²⁺. Mg²⁺ did not prevent CPP2-induced calcification at any CPP concentration. At 5 mmol/L, Mg²⁺ increased cellular Ca²⁺ deposition at CPP2 concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 μg/mL Ca²⁺ versus CPP2 treatment without additional Mg²⁺. Data are shown as fold changes compared with 100 CPP2 (set at 100%). Presented data are the mean of three separate experiments consisting of three replicate cultures ± SD. P < 0.05 for CPP2 incubated with *0.8, ^#2 and ^$5 mmol/L Mg²⁺ versus CPP2 concentration-matched formalin-fixed cultures.