Features of the cytokine profile in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The aim of the study : to reveal the particularities of the concentration of cytokines IL4, IL6, IL10, IL17, IFNγ in blood serum in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials and methods. The blood samples obtained from children of two study groups: children with autism spectrum disorder ( n = 93) and clinically healthy children ( n = 30), served as the material for the study. Cytokine concentrations were determined in blood serum using the Bender Medsystems (Austria) kits for IL17A and Vector-Best (Russia) kits for IL4, IL6, IL10, IFNγ. Serum cytokine concentrations were determined by enzyme immunoassay using kits for IL17A (Bender Medsystems, Austria), IL4, IL6, IL10, IFNγ (Vector-Best, Russia). Assessment of cognitive and psychophysiological indicators in children was performed using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Results. The concentrations of IL17A ( U = 54; p = 0,015) and IFNγ ( U = 4.64; p = 0,006) were increased and the concentrations of IL6 ( U = 327; p = 0.001) and IL4 ( U = 177; p = 0.001) were decreased in children with ASD. The concentration of IL6 correlates with the concentration of IL4 ( r = 0.68; p < 0.05). The concentration of IL17A correlates with the concentration of IFNγ ( r = 0.41; p < 0.05), IL6 ( r = 0.87; p < 0.05) and ATEC score ( r = 0.24; p < 0.05) in the group of children with ASD. Conclusion . The cytokine disbalance in children with ADS, which was observed in our study, confirms the hypothesis of their participation in the development of the disease and clearly shows the Th17 immunoregulation pathway in the pathogenesis of the autism spectrum disorder.