How tapeworm infection and consumption of a Cd and Zn hyperaccumulating plant may affect Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations in an animal—a plant consumer and tapeworm host

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of a hyperaccumulator plant (Arabidopsis halleri), containing surplus of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) and being an admixture to the rat feed, on concentrations of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) in the tissues of experimental rats infected/uninfected with the tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta). Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (00, P0, and PT); the P0 and PT animals were fed a standard mixture for rats (ST-1) supplemented with the plant A. halleri at a weekly Zn and Cd dosage of 123 and 1 mg, respectively. Moreover, rats from the group PT were infected with the tapeworm. The group 00 served as control animals fed only ST-1 having no tapeworm infection. Rats were euthanized after 6 weeks, and Cu, Fe, and Mn levels were determined in rat and tapeworm tissues. The results indicated that both the consumption of hyperaccumulator plant and/or presence of tapeworms did have significant effect on Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations in the host tissues. Concentrations of all the elements were higher in the rat liver and partially kidneys than in the tapeworms, and the concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Mn were affected by the consumption of Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator plants. Particularly, Fe concentrations in all rat tissues were significantly increased by consumption of A. halleri while decreased by the presence of tapeworms. Overall, the consumption of a Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator plant and tapeworm infection cause an imbalance in Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations in the tissues of a consumer (experimental rats).

Effects of excessive dietary zinc or zinc/cadmium and tapeworm infection on the biochemical parameters in rats

“…This study expands our previous knowledge of the effects of Zn/ Cd hyperaccumulating plant A. halleri on rat organism (Jankovská et al, 2016;Jankovská, Sloup, Szaková, Magdálek, Nechybová, et al, 2018) and examines effects of new factors influencing the physiology of these experimental animals. These factors are the overdose of zinc lactate in the diet, and the combination of various diets with infection with the rat tapeworm H. diminuta.…”

“…it was reported that heavy metal absorption in the digestive tract of hosts is affected by certain intestinal helminths (Sures, 2004); this is primarily true for tapeworms and acanthocephalans, which utilize their metabolically active body surface (tegument) to absorb nutrients (Sures, 2004;Sures & Reimann, 2003). In other studies (Jankovská et al, 2016;Jankovská, Sloup, Szaková, Magdálek, Nechybová, et al, 2018), we worked with a Zn/Cd hyperaccumulating plant (Arabidopsis halleri, Brassicaceae) and monitored how its consumption can affect rat organism. The current study aimed to determine the effects of zinc, and to a lesser extent also cadmium (in feed), on the biochemical parameters in laboratory rats infected and/or uninfected with a tapeworm.…”

Helminth-host-environment interactions: Looking down from the tip of the iceberg

“…Compared with uninfected rats, faecal excretion of cadmium and zinc was lower in H. diminuta -infected rats whose diet was supplemented with A. helleri , possibly because H. diminuta actively absorbs these trace elements (Sloup et al 2018). Moreover, tapeworms from rats fed this plant also bioaccumulated manganese relative to rat muscle concentrations, but iron concentration was lower in the tapeworm than in all tested host tissues (Jankovská et al 2018).…”

Excretion of dietary zinc in mammals (rats) fed overdoses of zinc lactate and infected with tapeworms

“…Since gastrointestinal helminths (including tapeworms) are present in the digestive tract, they can influence zinc metabolism significantly. According to many authors, tapeworms of the genus Hymenolepis can accumulate significant amounts of metal ions taken up by the host (Sures et al, 2002;Jankovská et al, 2018). Our study, therefore, focused on comparing the levels of zinc ingested and excreted by rats infected with tapeworms to those ingested and secreted by uninfected rats.…”