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Probiotic and Oxytocin Combination Therapy in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blinded,

Xue-Jun Kong1,2, Jun Liu1,3, Kevin Liu1

  • 1Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.

Nutrients
|June 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This study found that combining the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 with oxytocin improved social behaviors and gut microbiome in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. These findings suggest a synergistic effect for ASD treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition with limited treatment options.
  • Probiotics and oxytocin have individually shown therapeutic potential in ASD.
  • The combined effect of probiotics and oxytocin in ASD has not been previously investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a combination therapy involving Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 probiotic and oxytocin in individuals with ASD.
  • To assess the impact of this combination therapy on socio-behavioral severity, clinical global impression, and gut microbiome.

Main Methods:

  • A 28-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial involving 35 individuals with ASD (aged 3-20 years).
  • Participants received either Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 probiotic or placebo for 28 weeks, with oxytocin administered from week 16.
  • Primary outcomes included the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC); secondary outcomes involved the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, fecal microbiome, and inflammatory markers.

Main Results:

  • The combination therapy group showed significant improvements in ABC and SRS scores compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05).
  • Significant improvements in CGI-improvement were observed in the combination therapy group (p < 0.05).
  • Favorable gut microbiome network hubs were identified post-combination therapy, with a notable correlation between social cognition response and the abundance of the Eubacterium hallii group.

Conclusions:

  • The combination of Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 probiotic and oxytocin demonstrates synergistic effects in improving socio-behavioral outcomes in individuals with ASD.
  • This combination therapy positively modulated the gut microbiome, suggesting a gut-brain axis connection in ASD.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore the therapeutic potential of this combined approach for ASD.

Keywords:
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)inflammation markersmicrobiomeoxytocinprobiotics

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