Association between neuroimmunological indicators and autism spectrum disorders

Objective To explore the relationship among osteopontin (OPN), Interleukin-17 A (IL-17 A), anti-MBP auto-antibody and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to provide the theoretical basis for the etiology and pathogenesis of ASD. Methods Forty autistic children and forty matched healthy children were enrolled in this case-control study. The levels of OPN, IL-17 A, anti-MBP auto-antibody in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The associations between those metabolic levels and the severity and intelligence of ASD children were performed by Pearson or Spearman correlation. Results Children with ASD had higher serum levels of OPN, IL-17 A [ (296.89±162.95), 0.93] pg/mL compared to healthy control[ (217.98±113.39), 0.62] pg/mL (P<0.05). Serum OPN, IL-17 A, and anti-MBP auto-antibody levels in ASD group were not correlated with the scores of ABC, CARS, and PPVT (P>0.05). However, anti-MBP auto-antibodies level in children with ASD were positively correlated with OPN and IL-17 A levels, respectively (r=0.35, 0.34, P<0.05). Conclusion It was obvious that the ASD children were found with neuroimmunologic abnormality, and the underlying mechanism needs to be further explored.