Decreased serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor in male adults with high-functioning autism.
BACKGROUND
The mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of autism are currently unknown. Given the role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in brain development, we hypothesized that HGF plays a role in the pathophysiology of autism. In this study, we studied whether serum HGF levels are altered in subjects with high-functioning autism.


METHODS
Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we measured serum levels of HGF in 17 male adults with high-functioning autism and age-matched 18 male healthy subjects.


RESULTS
The serum levels (503.5+/-160.5 pg/mL (mean+/-SD)) of HGF in the subjects with high-functioning autism were significantly (Mann-Whitney U=34.0, p<0.001) lower than those (817.6+/-232.4 pg/mL (mean+/-SD)) of control subjects. However, there were no correlations between serum HGF levels and clinical variables in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that reduced HGF levels may play a role in the pathophysiology of high-functioning autism.
Sugihara
Genichi
G
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
Hashimoto
Kenji
K
Iwata
Yasuhide
Y
Nakamura
Kazuhiko
K
Tsujii
Masatsugu
M
Tsuchiya
Kenji J
KJ
Sekine
Yoshimoto
Y
Suzuki
Katsuaki
K
Suda
Shiro
S
Matsuzaki
Hideo
H
Kawai
Masayoshi
M
Minabe
Yoshio
Y
Yagi
Atsuko
A
Takei
Nori
N
Sugiyama
Toshiro
T
Mori
Norio
N
D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor