AST-001 Improves Social Deficits and Restores Dopamine Neuron Activity in a Mouse Model of Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitive behavior, and interests. The core symptoms of ASD are associated with deficits in mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathways that project from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). AST-001 is an investigational product currently in a phase 3 clinical trial for treating the core symptoms of ASD, with L-serine as the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient). Because the causes of ASD are extremely heterogeneous, a single genetic ASD model cannot represent all autism models. In this paper, we used the VPA-exposed model, which is more general and widely used than a single genetic model, but this is also one of the animal models of autism. Herein, we conducted experiments to demonstrate the efficacy of AST-001 as L-Serine that alters the regulation of the firing rate in dopamine neurons by inhibiting small conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (SK channels). Through these actions, AST-001 improved sociability and social novelty by rescuing the intrinsic excitabilities of dopamine neurons in VPA-exposed ASD mouse models that showed ASD-related behavioral abnormalities. It is thought that this effect of improving social deficits in VPA-exposed ASD mouse models is due to AST-001 normalizing aberrant SK channel activities that slowed VTA dopamine neuron firing. Overall, these findings suggest that AST-001 may be a potential therapeutic agent for ASD patients, and that its mechanism of action may involve the regulation of dopamine neuron activity and the improvement of social interaction.