Objective:To study the alterations of energy metabolism and oxidative stress in mouse liver after infection of recombinant adenovirus. Methods:Seven-week-old male Balb/c mice were randomly assigned to control and adenovirus infection groups. Recombinant adenovirus encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was delivered by tail vein injection. Tissue distribution of GFP was determined by fluorescence microscopy. The levels of alanine transaminase (ALT),aspartate amino transferase (AST),glucose,cholesterol,triglyceride,β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB),fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma as well as hepatic glucogen contents were detected 5 days after injection. Hepatic expressions of genes involved in gluconeogenesis,lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation were examined by quantitative real-time PCR. To determine the oxidative stress levels in mice,MDA in blood and hepatic mRNA expression levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating or antioxidant genes were also examined. Results:The expression of GFP delivered by tail vein injection was mainly in the liver of mice,with the highest levels at 5 days after injection. Compared with the control mice,adenovirus infection led to an obvious increase of ALT and AST in plasma of mice in the adenovirus infection group. The levels of β-HB and FGF-21 were also elevated. Analysis of the liver transcripts indicated that genes implicated in fatty acid oxidation were increased while those involved in lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis pathways were suppressed by adenovirus infection. Besides,hepatic levels of ROS were also increased. Conclusion:Our findings indicate that adenovirus infection improved fatty acid oxidation and inhibited gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis. The alterations of energy metabolism may be mediated by the increased oxidative stress in liver after adenovirus infection. [Key words] recombinant adenovirus;oxidative stress;gluconeogenesis;fatty acid oxidation