Abstract
Objective: Glutathione supplement has been prescribed as a therapy in autism often without proper glutathione quantification in the body. Though, increased speech and increased imaginary play is reported, increased screaming and loosening of stools have been reported as side effects. In this scenario, for an effective management of glutathione administration, we suggest a simple and reliable means of glutathione quantification before its administration. This study pertains to the quantification of total glutathione in autistic children using noninvasively taken urine as sample. Materials & Methods: Urine samples were collected from ten autistic and nine neurotypical children of similar age and sex. Total glutathione was quantified using enzymatic recycling method. Results: Mean levels of total glutathione in autistic children were significantly lower than the neurotypical children (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that total glutathione is lower in autistic children and noninvasively collected urine can be used for glutathione quantification before administering glutathione as a therapeutic measure.
Highlights
Autism is a key public health issue
To find the exact etiology, both genetic and environmental factors have been attributed for autism etiopathogenesis, apart from immunological alterations and oxidative stress [2, 3, and 4]
We propose a pilot study in assessing the total glutathione in children using noninvasively collected urine as an efficient source for total glutathione quantification
Summary
Autism is a key public health issue. The burgeoning number of autism cases (1 in 88) [1] is quite alarming. To find the exact etiology, both genetic and environmental factors have been attributed for autism etiopathogenesis, apart from immunological alterations and oxidative stress [2, 3, and 4]. Oxidative stress is considered as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and anti oxidant defenses [5]. Association of glutathione depletion has been proposed in many neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases [6]. Studies point out that oxidative stress by glutathione depletion causes severe hypertension in animal model [7] which cannot be otherwise in humans. Anecdotal reports say that glutathione supplement administration
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