Magnesium gluconate is a compound with formula MgC₁₂H₂₂O₁₄. It is the magnesium

Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...

 salt

Salt

In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 of gluconic acid

Gluconic acid

Gluconic acid is an organic compound with molecular formula C6H12O7 and condensed structural formula HOCH24COOH. It is one of the 16 stereoisomers of 2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanoic acid....

.

It has E number

E number

E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union . They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority...

 "E580".

Use in medicine

There are data on the pharmacological properties of magnesium gluconate. Gluconic acid is the initial substrate for the reactions of pentose phosphate path of oxidation of glucose

Glucose

Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

, so it was suggested that it may affect the energy metabolism of mitochondria. In Ukraine, magnesium gluconate, together with potassium gluconate

Potassium gluconate

Potassium gluconate is a mineral supplement and sequestrant.Potassium gluconate is a loosely bound salt of potassium and gluconic acid. Potassium is essential to life. It is involved with sodium in maintaining the body's acid-base balance and promoting physiological and metabolic processes. It...

in the drug Rhythmocor is used to treat heart disease. Pilot studies have shown efficacy in various cardiac arrhythmia. There is no single explanation, whether these effects with the influence of gluconic acid on the metabolism of the heart, or the influence of magnesium and potassium do not.