Abstract
BackgroundAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) are known to be associated with an inflammatory process related to immune system dysfunction. This study’s aim was to investigate the role of cell-free DNA in chronic inflammatory process in ASD patients.MethodsThe study included 133 ASD patients and 27 healthy controls. Sixty-two ASD patients were demonstrated to have mild-to-moderate disease severity (group I) and 71 individuals to have severe ASD (group II). Plasma cell-free (cf) DNA characteristics, plasma cytokine concentrations, expression of the genes for NFкB1 transcription factor and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-1β and IL-8 in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of ASD patients, and unaffected controls were investigated. Additionally, in vitro experiments with oxidized DNA supplementation to PBL cultures derived from ASD patients and healthy controls were performed.ResultsThe data indicates that ASD patients have demonstrated increased cfDNA concentration in their circulation. cfDNA of patients with severe ASD has been characterized by a high abundance of oxidative modification. Furthermore, ASD patients of both groups have shown elevated plasma cytokine (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-17A) levels and heightened expression of genes for NFкB1 nuclear factor and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-8 in PBL. In vitro experiments have shown that NF-κB/cytokine mRNA expression profiles of ASD patient PBL treated with oxidized DNA fragments were significantly different from those of healthy controls.ConclusionsIt may be proposed that oxidized cfDNA plays a role of stress-signaling factor activating the chronic inflammatory process in patients with ASD.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by social communication deficits, language impairments, and stereotypical patterns of behavior, interest, or activity [1]
Results cell-free DNA” (cfDNA) parameters and nuclease activity in blood plasma of ASD patients compared to a healthy control group Table 1 represents the results of cfDNA quantification in plasma samples derived from ASD patients and healthy controls
A statistically significant increase in plasma cfDNA level in the groups of ASD patients compared with healthy controls has been observed
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by social communication deficits, language impairments, and stereotypical patterns of behavior, interest, or activity [1]. ASD are associated with an inflammatory process related to immune system dysfunction [1, 3,4,5]. An increase in proinflammatory cytokines is often considered as the hallmark of the inflammatory process in ASD [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Analysis of postmortem brain samples of ASD patients, as well as animal autism model experiments, showed signs of the inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS) [17,18,19]. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are known to be associated with an inflammatory process related to immune system dysfunction. This study’s aim was to investigate the role of cell-free DNA in chronic inflammatory process in ASD patients
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.