Efficacy of folic acid supplementary on methylation capability and oxidative stress in autistic children

Objective To evaluate folic acid,homocysteine (Hcy),and glutathione (GSH) redox metabolism,and to evaluate the efficacy of folic acid supplementary on methylation cycles and oxidative stress in autistic children.Methods Fifty-three autistic children were enrolled in a case-control study.Folic acid,Hcy,and GSH metabolism in serum were measured by traditional methods and compared with fifty-three age-matched unaffected children.Eighty-three autistic children were enrolled in an open-label trial and participated in three months of structured teaching.Children were treated with 400 μg folic acid (two times/daily) for a period of three months during their structured teaching (intervention group),while the remaining received no supplementary (control group).Psychoeducational Profile-third edition (PEP-3) was measured at the beginning and end of the treatment.Folic acid,Hcy,and GSH metabolism in plasma were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography before and after treatment and compared with 29 age-matched unaffected children.Results The results indicated significant differences in the serum concentrations of the folic acid,Hcy,GSH,oxidized glutathione disulfide (GSSG),and the ratio of GSH/GSSG between autistic children and matched healthy controls.The results illustrated folic acid intervention improved autism symptoms in cognitive verbal/preverbal,receptive language,and affective expression.Folic acid treatment improved the plasma concentrations of folic acid,Hcy,and GSH redox metabolism.The change of characteristic verbal behaviors scores in PEP-3 was negatively correlated with the change of Hcy(r =-0.411,P=0.027).Conclusion Autistic children have lower folic acid,higher Hcy and GSH/GSSG ratio than healthy controls.Folic acid supplementation could normalize methylation capability and oxidative stress status,moreover,folic acid supplementation may play a certain role in treatment response among autistic children.