Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a potential risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ). In rodents, MIA results in changes in cytokine profiles and abnormal behaviors in the offspring that model these neuropsychiatric conditions. Given the central role that mitochondria have in immunity and other metabolic pathways, we hypothesized that MIA will result in a fetal imprinting that leads to postnatal deficits in the bioenergetics of immune cells. To this end, splenocytes from adult offspring exposed gestationally to the viral mimic poly(I:C) were evaluated for mitochondrial outcomes. A significant decrease in mitochondrial ATP production was observed in poly(I:C)-treated mice (45% of controls) mainly attributed to a lower complex I activity. No differences were observed between the two groups in the coupling of electron transport to ATP synthesis, or the oxygen uptake under uncoupling conditions. Concanavalin A- (ConA-) stimulated splenocytes from poly(I:C) animals showed no statistically significant changes in cytokine levels compared to controls. The present study reports for the first time that MIA activation by poly(I:C) at early gestation, which can lead to behavioral impairments in the offspring similar to SZ and ASD, leads to long-lasting effects in the bioenergetics of splenocytes of adult offspring.
Highlights
The most recent estimates indicate that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the United States has raised to 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls [1]
Several studies have suggested that impaired mitochondrial function and altered energy metabolism in individuals with ASD may contribute to their social and cognitive deficits [3,4,5], and recent reports indicate the presence of mitochondrial dysfunction (MD) in brain, skeletal muscle, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from children with ASD
Human neutrophil mitochondria are involved in several functions such as chemotaxis, respiratory burst activity, maintenance of cell shape, and apoptosis [13,14,15,16,17]
Summary
The most recent estimates indicate that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the United States has raised to 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls [1]. The MD in ASD is generally characterized by lower complex I activity accompanied, in a subset of cases, by deficits in other complexes [6,7,8]. Beside their critical role in a number of pathways, spanning from ATP production (via oxidative phosphorylation), one-carbon metabolism regulation, heme biosynthesis, fatty acid catabolism, and branched chain amino acid metabolism [9], mitochondria may impact the immune response and vice versa [10,11,12].
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