Oxidative Stress in Autism Spectrum Disorder

 2020 Feb 5. doi: 10.1007/s12035-019-01742-2. [Epub ahead of print]

Bjørklund G1, Meguid NA2,3, El-Bana MA3,4, Tinkov AA5,6,7, Saad K8,9, Dadar M10, Hemimi M2,3, Skalny AV6,7,11,12, Hosnedlová B13,14, Kizek R13,14, Osredkar J15, Urbina MA16, Fabjan T15, El-Houfey AA9,17,18, Kałużna-Czaplińska J19,20, Gątarek P19,20, Chirumbolo S21,22.


According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of July 11, 2016, the reported average incidence of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was 1 in 68 (1.46%) among 8-year-old children born in 2004 and living within the 11 monitoring sites’ surveillance areas in the United States of America (USA) in 2012. ASD is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder that is also considered a hidden disability, as, for the most part; there are no apparent morphological differences between children with ASD and typically developing children. ASD is diagnosed based upon a triad of features including impairment in socialization, impairment in language, and repetitive and stereotypic behaviors. The increasing incidence of ASD in the pediatric population and the lack of successful curative therapies make ASD one of the most challenging disorders for medicine. ASD neurobiology is thought to be associated with oxidative stress, as shown by increased levels of reactive oxygen species and increased lipid peroxidation, as well as an increase in other indicators of oxidative stress. Children with ASD diagnosis are considered more vulnerable to oxidative stress because of their imbalance in intracellular and extracellular glutathione levels and decreased glutathione reserve capacity. Several studies have suggested that the redox imbalance and oxidative stress are integral parts of ASD pathophysiology. As such, early assessment and treatment of antioxidant status may result in a better prognosis as it could decrease the oxidative stress in the brain before it can induce more irreversible brain damage. In this review, many aspects of the role of oxidative stress in ASD are discussed, taking into account that the process of oxidative stress may be a target for therapeutic interventions.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32026227