Nitric oxide pathway as a plausible therapeutic target in autism spectrum disorders

The nitric oxide pathway has been \pivotal in exploring neurodevelopmental disorders. Pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is also suspected to involve a number of biological cascades triggered by nitric oxide-induced neurotoxicity. The excessive nitric oxide levels caused by varied toxicants leads to the formation of reactive nitrogenous species along with ROS leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and altered NOS expression responsible for worsening of behavioral complications.

In this article, we will discuss the plausible role of the nitric oxide pathway in ASD and also discuss the modulation of this pathway by therapeutics, which can be explored in clinics for mitigating nitrosative stress in ASD. Literature was searched utilizing various databases such as Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from 1966 to 2021.

Nitric oxide pathway is an unexplored domain in the field of ASD and could act as an important therapeutic target in providing relief from behavioral alterations in autistic patients. At present, no major experimental study confirms the role of nitric oxide in autism. However, conclusive preclinical and clinical evidence is needed to evaluate and establish the role of nitric oxide in ASD.