Estimation of Alpha-Synuclein Monomer and Oligomer Levels in the Saliva of the Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Possibility for an Early Diagnosis.

Abubakkar Siddique,Shazia Ali,Athar Abdullah,Madiha Ariff,Humaira Fayyaz Khan,Hina Munir

doi:10.7759/cureus.9936

Abstract

BackgroundIn degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson's disease (PD), alpha-synuclein (a-syn) can be in its monomeric (a-syn-mono) or toxic oligomeric (a-syn-oligo) or as a total (a-syn-total) forms in the biological body fluids including saliva. Past research has observed major a-syn plasma variations in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pointing toward brain degenerative components in their pathophysiology. No prior study has shown a-syn levels in ASD patients' saliva.Objective This study estimates the levels of alpha-synuclein monomer (a-syn-mono) and alpha-synuclein oligomer (a-syn-oligo) in the saliva of ASD affected children so that saliva can be a method for detecting disorder.Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional, multi-center study was conducted in Islamic International Medical College, Autism Resource Centre (ARC), and Step-to-learn Rehabilitation center for the slow learner in Rawalpindi. The research was performed for one year from August 2018 to August 2019. Saliva samples from 80 children (40 ASD affected children, and 40 age- and sex-comparable healthy controls) were collected. Specific anti-alpha-synuclein monomers (anti-a-syn-mono) and anti-alpha-synuclein oligomers (anti-a-syn-oligo) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits analyzed the salivary samples. Mean ± SD were reported for quantitative data. The data between the two groups were compared using an independent t-test. The p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 80 children were included in the study (n=40 ASD affected, n=40 healthy controls). The age of participating children was between four and eight years. The mean alpha-synuclein monomer level in the saliva of ASD children was 92.03 ± 117.09 pg/ml (p≤0.05), and in healthy subjects was 186.78 ± 239.31 ρg/ml. The levels of alpha-synuclein oligomer in the saliva of patients with ASD children were 0.13 ± 0.05 ng/ml (p<0.001), and in the healthy subjects was 0.33 ± 0.26 ng/ml. Both alpha-synuclein monomer and alpha-synuclein oligomer levels were low in the saliva of ASD children.ConclusionChildren with ASD had low levels of alpha-synuclein monomer and oligomer than healthy children which are unique than that of levels found in other degenerative brain diseases.

Highlights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of disorders that involve brain development in a way that the patients, in their early childhood development, develop two significant behavioral symptoms including social skill problems and restricted, stereotyped behavior
The levels of alpha-synuclein oligomer in the saliva of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children were 0.13 ± 0.05 ng/ml (p
The current study investigates two novel proteins, alpha-synuclein monomer (a-syn-mono), and a-synuclein oligomers (a-syn-oligo), in the saliva of ASD children and uses them as a tool for a better understanding of pathophysiology and early diagnosis

Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of disorders that involve brain development in a way that the patients, in their early childhood development, develop two significant behavioral symptoms including social skill problems and restricted, stereotyped behavior. These symptoms appear before the age of three years, and most of these continue for the entire life [1]. How to cite this article Siddique A, Khan H, Ali S, et al (August 22, 2020) Estimation of Alpha-Synuclein Monomer and Oligomer Levels in the Saliva of the Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Possibility for an Early Diagnosis. No prior study has shown a-syn levels in ASD patients' saliva

Methods

Results

Conclusion