Dietary salicylates affect calcium and magnesium status in preeclampsia model rats induced by NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME)

Preeclampsia (PE) represents a complex hypertensive disorder of pregnancy which combines blood pressure elevation with organ dysfunction through mineral metabolism disturbances. The current guidelines recommend low-dose aspirin for PE prevention yet the impact of dietary salicylates on mineral status remains an open question. This research investigated how dietary salicylates and aspirin affect calcium and magnesium homeostasis in rats with NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced preeclampsia. The research involved pregnant Sprague Dawley rats who received six different treatment groups: CH (healthy controls) and PE (preeclamptic controls) alongside four intervention groups that combined L-NAME with low or high dietary salicylates (LSP, HSP) or aspirin (LAP, HAP). The preeclampsia model used L-NAME (0.5 mg/mL) throughout gestational days 6–19. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry method measured calcium and magnesium levels in tissues and serum samples. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system (UHPLC-MS/MS) analyzed salicylic acid concentrations. The administration of L-NAME resulted in elevated blood pressure together with elevated calcium levels in placental and renal tissues. The tissue magnesium (Mg) levels increased in heart and brain tissues when animals consumed salicylates or aspirin without any effect on blood pressure. The combination of high salicylate intake resulted in reduced calcium (Ca) levels in femoral tissues and decreased albumin excretion in urine. The Ca:Mg molar ratio changed significantly in kidney tissue as well as placenta tissue and pancreas tissue. The preeclampsia condition caused by L-NAME disrupts the normal distribution of calcium and magnesium throughout maternal and fetal body tissues.