Abstract
BackgroundIncreasing evidence of autoimmune phenomena in some individuals with autism could represent the presence of altered or inappropriate immune responses in this disorder. The role of the nucleosome in the induction of antibody response in some autoimmune-mediated tissue damage may provide novel targets for treatment. Due to the paucity of studies investigating the frequency of systemic auto-antibodies in autism, we are the first to investigate the frequency of antinucleosome-specific antibodies in a group of autistic children.MethodsSerum antinucleosome-specific antibodies were measured by ELISA in 60 autistic children, between the ages of 3 and 12 years, in comparison to 60 healthy children. Autistic severity was assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).ResultsAutistic children had significantly higher serum antinucleosome-specific antibodies than healthy children (P <0.001). The seropositivity of antinucleosome-specific antibodies was found in 46.7% of autistic children. Autistic children with a family history of autoimmunity (40%) had a significantly higher frequency of serum antinucleosome-specific antibodies (83.3%) than patients without such a history (22.2%, P <0.001).ConclusionsSerum levels of antinucleosome-specific antibodies were increased in some autistic children. However, these data should be treated with caution until further investigations are performed with a larger subject population to determine whether these antibodies have a role in the induction of autoimmunity in a subgroup of autistic children. The role of immunotherapy in children with autism should be also studied.
Highlights
Increasing evidence of autoimmune phenomena in some individuals with autism could represent the presence of altered or inappropriate immune responses in this disorder
Serum levels of antinucleosome-specific antibodies in healthy children and patients with autism Autistic children had significantly higher serum levels of antinucleosome-specific antibodies than healthy controls, P
According to the highest cutoff value of serum antinucleosome-specific antibodies, increased serum levels of antinucleosome-specific antibodies were found in 46.7% (28/60) of autistic children
Summary
Increasing evidence of autoimmune phenomena in some individuals with autism could represent the presence of altered or inappropriate immune responses in this disorder. A possible role of immune system abnormalities in the pathogenesis of some neurologic disorders, including autism, was postulated. Autoimmune disorders are increased in families of some children with autism [11,12,13,14]. There is a strong association between autism and the major histocompatibility complex for the null allele of C4B in the class III region. This results in low production of C4B protein, leading to repeated infections that play an important role in the
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