Chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques in studies on oxidative stress in autism

Healthy body is characterized by the presence of a dynamic and balanced equilibrium between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant capacity. In oxidative stress this balance is switched to reactions of oxidation leading to increased production of ROS, exceeding the capacity of physiological antioxidant systems. Oxidative stress is known to be linked to many disturbances, disorders and diseases. One of these is the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested by abnormalities in social communication and interaction, as well as by occurrence of repetitive, restricted patterns of behavior or activities. It is believed that adequate knowledge about the oxidative stress biomarkers and the possibility of their reliable measuring could be useful in broadening knowledge on various diseases including ASD. A high number of compounds have been proposed as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Some of these are connected with the severity of ASD. The present review gives a summary of the chromatographic techniques used for the determination of biomarkers for oxidative stress in autism, and of other compounds important in this context. The first part of the review focuses on the correlation between oxidative stress and autism. The second part describes applications of chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods to the analysis of different metabolites connected with oxidative stress in biological fluids of autistic children. Advantages as well as disadvantages of the application of these methods for the analysis of different types of oxidative stress biomarkers are discussed.