Most
infectious diseases are accompanied by a change in levels of several
trace elements in the blood. However, it is not known whether changes in the gastrointestinal uptake of
trace elements contribute to this event. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), adapted to Balb/c mice, was used to study whether
infection induces gene expression of
metallothionein (MT1) and divalent-
metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in the intestine and liver and
hepcidin in the liver, as well as whether
trace elements in these tissues are changed accordingly. Quantitative expression of CVB3, MT1, DMT1 and
hepcidin was measured by real-time RT-PCR and six
trace elements by ICP-MS on days 3, 6 and 9 of the
infection. The
copper/
zinc (Cu/Zn) ratio in serum increased as a response to the
infection. High concentrations of virus were found in the intestine and liver on day 3 and in the intestine on day 6. MT1 in the intestine and liver increased on days 3 and 6. The increase of MT1 in the liver correlated positively with Cu and Zn.
Hepcidin in the liver showed a non-significant increase on days 3 and 6 of the
infection, whereas DMT1 in the intestine decreased on day 9. Accordingly,
iron (Fe) in the liver increased progressively during the disease, whereas in the intestine DMT1 was negatively correlated to Fe.
Arsenic (As),
cadmium (Cd) and
mercury (Hg) were found to decrease to various degrees in the intestine, serum and liver. Thus, enteroviral
infections, and possibly many other
infections, may cause a change in the gastrointestinal uptake of both non-essential and essential
trace elements.