Low serum myeloperoxidase in autistic children with gastrointestinal disease

The assessment of microbial infection in children with autism spectrum disorders and genetic folate cycle deficiency

BACKGROUND

The results of disparate clinical studies indicate abnormally frequent cases of certain microorganisms in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, these data require clarification and systematization. The study aims to study the structure of the microbial profile in children with ASD and genetic folate cycle deficiency (GFCD) and consider differences in diagnostic approaches for identifying microorganisms of different types.

METHODS

The study analyzed medical data from 240 children (187 boys and 63 girls) with GFCD aged 2 to 9 years. The children had clinical manifestations of ASD (the study group, SG). The control group (CG) included 53 clinically healthy children (37 boys and 16 girls) of the same age but without GFCD. Both groups of children were tested on active herpetic infections (HSV-1/2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7, HHV-8), ТТV, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans, Borrelia burgdorferi, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Yersinia enterocolitica, Toxoplasma gondii, congenital CMV neuroinfection and postnatal HSV-1/2 encephalitis. The testing used diagnostic methods specified in PubMed-indexed studies.

RESULTS

In the SG, TTV was found in 196 children (82%), HHV-7 - in 172 (72%), HHV-6 - in 162 (68%), EBV - in 153 (64%), Streptococcus pyogenes - in 127 (53%), Candida albicans - in 116 (48%), Borrelia - in 107 (45%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae - in 94 (39%), Chlamydia pneumoniae - in 85 (35%), Yersinia entеrocolitica - in 71 (30%), Toxoplasma gondii - in 54 (23%), congenital CMV neuroinfection - in 26 (11%), and postnatal HSV-1/2 encephalitis - in 11 children (5% of cases) (p < p0.05; Z < Z0.05). In the SG, there was a higher microbial load in older children (p < p0.05; Z < Z0.05). No gender differences were found.

CONCLUSIONS

The study described and characterized a specific abnormal microbial spectrum with a predominance of viral opportunistic agents in children with ASD associated with GFCD.

Could Candida Overgrowth Be Involved in the Pathophysiology of Autism?

The purpose of this review is to summarize the current acquiredknowledge of Candida overgrowth in the intestine as a possible etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The influence of Candida sp. on the immune system, brain, and behavior of children with ASD isdescribed. The benefits of interventions such as a carbohydrates-exclusion diet, probiotic supplementation, antifungal agents, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and microbiota transfer therapy (MTT) will be also discussed. Our literature query showed that the results of most studies do not fully support the hypothesis that Candida overgrowth is correlated with gastrointestinal (GI) problems and contributes to autism behavioral symptoms occurrence. On the one hand, it was reported that the modulation of microbiota composition in the gut may decrease Candida overgrowth, help reduce GI problems and autism symptoms. On the other hand, studies on humans suggesting the beneficial effects of a sugar-free diet, probiotic supplementation, FMT and MTT treatment in ASD are limited and inconclusive. Due to the increasing prevalence of ASD, studies on the etiology of this disorder are extremely needed and valuable. However, to elucidate the possible involvement of Candida in the pathophysiology of ASD, more reliable and well-designed research is certainly required.

Decreased plasma myeloperoxidase associated with probiotic therapy in autistic children

AIM

To assess plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels in autistic children and to test the hypothesis that there is an association between decreased MPO concentration and probiotic therapy.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Plasma from 49 autistic children (39 males; mean age 11.4 years) (17 with diagnosed gastrointestinal (GI) disease - chronic diarrhea and/or constipation (10 of these GI patients were taking probiotics) and 26 receiving probiotic therapy) and 36 neurotypical controls (29 males; mean age 10.2 years; controls were not assessed for GI disease) were tested for MPO plasma concentration using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs). Plasma concentration of MPO in autistic individuals was compared to plasma concentration of copper and zinc.

RESULTS

We found that individuals with autism, receiving no therapy, did not have significantly lower plasma MPO levels when compared to controls. In the autistic group, MPO levels were significantly lower in individuals taking probiotic therapy. In addition, plasma copper levels were significantly lower in autistic individuals taking probiotics compared to those not taking probiotics, but plasma zinc levels were not different in the probiotic group.

DISCUSSION

These results suggest a relationship between low MPO levels found in a group of autistic individuals and probiotic therapy. By possibly changing gut bacterial flora and thereby changing absorption properties in the gut, probiotic therapy was also associated with lower copper levels.

Camel milk beneficial effects on treating gentamicin induced alterations in rats

The potential effect of camel milk (CM) against gentamicin (GM) induced biochemical changes in the rat serum was evaluated. Four groups of six albino rats were used for control, CM fed, injected with GM(i.p.), and then fed and injected with GM. The results showed that the administration of GM significantly altered the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in rat serum. CM restored these parameters to almost their normal range in group IV. Additionally, the present study showed that injection of rats with gentamicin caused an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity while the antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione s-transferase (GST) activity decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Administration of CM significantly (P ≤ 0.05) inhibited the formation of MDA and activity of MPO and upregulated the antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GST) activity. The overall findings of this study demonstrated that pretreatment with CM gave protection against GM induced hepatic damage possibly by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation, and hence camel milk can be identified as a new therapeutic agent.

Camel Milk as a Potential Therapy as an Antioxidant in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Extensive studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress plays a vital role in the pathology of several neurological diseases, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD); those studies proposed that GSH and antioxidant enzymes have a pathophysiological role in autism. Furthermore, camel milk has emerged to have potential therapeutic effects in autism. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of camel milk consumption on oxidative stress biomarkers in autistic children, by measuring the plasma levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and myeloperoxidase before and 2 weeks after camel milk consumption, using the ELISA technique. All measured parameters exhibited significant increase after camel milk consumption (P < 0.5). These findings suggest that camel milk could play an important role in decreasing oxidative stress by alteration of antioxidant enzymes and nonenzymatic antioxidant molecules levels, as well as the improvement of autistic behaviour as demonstrated by the improved Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).