title: Increased markers of oxidative stress in autistic children of the Sultanate of Oman.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of early childhood, and an enumeration about its etiology and consequences is still limited. Oxidative stress-induced mechanisms are believed to be the major cause for ASD. In this study 19 autistic and 19 age-matched normal Omani children were recruited to analyze their degree of redox status and a prewritten consent was obtained. Blood was withdrawn from subjects in heparin-coated tube, and plasma was separated. Plasma oxidative stress indicators such as nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl, and lactate to pyruvate ratio were quantified using commercially available kits. A significant elevation was observed in the levels of NO, MDA, protein carbonyl, and lactate to pyruvate ratio in the plasma of Omani autistic children as compared to their age-matched controls. These oxidative stress markers are strongly associated with major cellular injury and manifest severe mitochondrial dysfunction in autistic pathology. Our results also suggest that oxidative stress might be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD, and these parameters could be considered as diagnostic markers to ensure the prevalence of ASD in Omani children. However, the oxidative stress-induced molecular mechanisms in ASD should be studied in detail.
authors: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. drmdessa@gmail.com
authors: Musthafa M
authors: MM
authors: Essa
authors: Gilles J
authors: GJ
authors: Guillemin
authors: Mostafa I
authors: MI
authors: Waly
authors: Marwan M
authors: MM
authors: Al-Sharbati
authors: Yahya M
authors: YM
authors: Al-Farsi
authors: Faruck L
authors: FL
authors: Hakkim
authors: Amanat
authors: A
authors: Ali
authors: Mohammed S
authors: MS
authors: Al-Shafaee
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D009850:Oman / Q000453:epidemiology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000097:blood; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019344:Lactic Acid; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D019289:Pyruvic Acid