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Blood lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities and hemorheological changes in autistic children
Aranka László1, Zoltán Novák, Ilona Szőllősi-Varga
1University of Szeged, Department of Pediatrics, A Szent-Györgyi Medical Centre, Szeged. laszloar@pedia.szote.u-szeged.hu
Insights
This study reveals oxidative stress and altered red blood cell deformability in children with infantile autism. These findings suggest potential new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pediatric Psychiatry
- Hematology
Background:
- Infantile autism is a severe childhood psychiatric disorder.
- Biochemical abnormalities like hyperserotoninaemia, lactic acidosis, and hyperpyruvataemia are observed in autistic children.
- Previous research suggests a blood redox disequilibrium may be involved in infantile autism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the oxidative loading and antioxidant enzyme system in infantile autism.
- To examine hemorheological parameters in children with infantile autism.
- To identify potential biochemical markers associated with infantile autism.
Main Methods:
- Assessed plasma and red blood cell levels of Malonyl-dialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation marker.
- Measured activities of antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (C-ase), glutathione peroxidase (GP-ase), and levels of reduced glutathione (GSH).
- Evaluated hemorheological parameters including red blood cell filtration rate and deformability in 25 autistic children.
Main Results:
- Elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione peroxidase (GP-ase) and catalase (C-ase) activities were observed.
- Lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels remained unchanged.
- Reduced red blood cell deformability was indicated by decreased initial filtration rate (Fi), decreased clogging rate (CR), and increased mean transit time (Tc).
Conclusions:
- The findings provide evidence of oxidative stress in children with infantile autism.
- Altered red blood cell deformability suggests hemorheological dysfunction in infantile autism.
- These biochemical and hemorheological changes may serve as potential biomarkers for infantile autism.
Objectives:
Early infantile autism is a severe form of childhood psychiatric disease with characteristic symptoms. Hyperserotoninaemia in 43.5%, lactic acidosis 43% and hyperpyruvataemia in 30% were biochemically demonstrated in autistic children. Our earlier results led to the postulation that a dissequilibrium in the blood redox is involved in infantile autism; the oxidative loading and the antioxidant defending enzyme system were investigated together with the hemorheological parameters in infantile autism.
Methods:
Malonyl-dialdehyde (MDA) endproduct of lipid peroxidation and activities of the antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (C-ase), glutathione peroxidase (GP-ase) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were biochemically determined from plasma and red blood cells.
Patients:
The antioxidant specificities were investigated in plasma and red blood cell haemolysate from 25 infantile autistic children.
Results:
Significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) (2.89 vs. 1.32 U/mg protein, p < 0.01) and decreased glutathione peroxidase (0.620 vs. 0.910 U/mg protein, p < 0.01) levels as well as catalase (0.463 vs. 4.948 BU/mg protein, p < 0.001) activities were detected; while the plasma and erythrocyte lipid peroxidation and the reduced glutathione (GSH) levels did not change. The results of the investigated prooxidant and the antioxidant status provide evidence that there exists an oxidative stress in children with infantile autism. While investigating the hemorheological parameters of 25 infantile autistic patients, some characteristic pathological parameters were detected: the initial filtration rate (Fi) (0.72 vs. 0.75 p < 0.01) and the clogging rate (CR) (1.926 vs. 2.912, p < 0.01) values of red blood cells (RBC) decreased while the mean transit time (Tc) (8.93 vs. 7.39, p < 0.001) increased suggesting reduced RBC deformability.
