Arsenic is decreased in target organs during viral infection in mice.
Arsenic (As), a potentially toxic trace element, has been shown to influence viral replication and resistance to microbial infection. However, the impact of infection on the normal As status in target organs involved in the disease process has not been studied to date. In the present study, As was measured through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the plasma, liver, spleen, kidney, heart, pancreas and brain at days 1 and 3 of coxsackievirus B3 infection in female Balb/c mice. The severity of the infection was assessed from clinical signs of disease. The infection changed plasma As in a biphasic pattern with a small increase (n.s.) at day 1 that turned into a decreasing trend (13%, p<0.05) by day 3. In the liver, spleen, heart, pancreas and kidney As was unchanged at day 1 but, at day 3, it had decreased by 71% (p<0.01), 64% (p<0.01), 55% (p<0.01), 63% (p<0.01) and 73% (p<0.01), respectively. In the brain, As went unchanged. The pathophysiological interpretation of these findings requires further research.
Benyamin
Gad
G
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University Hospital, S-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
Lindh
Ulf
U
Frisk
Peter
P
Friman
Göran
G
Ilbäck
Nils-Gunnar
NG
D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010179:Pancreas / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D001151:Arsenic