title: Autistic children display elevated urine levels of bovine casomorphin-7 immunoreactivity.
abstract: Elevated concentrations of circulating casomorphins (CM), the exogenous opioid peptides from milk casein, may contribute to the pathogenesis of autism in children. Because several mass spectrometry studies failed to detect casomorphins in autistic children, it was questioned whether these peptides can be detected in body fluids by mass spec. Here we demonstrated, using a novel high sensitivity ELISA method, that autistic children have significantly higher levels of urine CM-7 than control children. The severity of autistic symptoms correlated with concentrations of CM-7 in the urine. Because CMs interact with opioid and serotonin receptors, the known modulators of synaptogenesis, we suggest that chronic exposure to elevated levels of bovine CMs may impair early child development, setting the stage for autistic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: oleg-sokolov@yandex.ru.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Natalya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kost
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andreeva
authors.affiliation: Russian State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Korneeva
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meshavkin
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tarakanova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Genetics RAS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dadayan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Genetics RAS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yurii
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zolotarev
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grachev
authors.affiliation: Russian State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Inna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mikheeva
authors.affiliation: Oregon National Primate Research Center, OR, United States.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Varlamov
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zozulya
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004723:Endorphins / Q000652:urine*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D004723:Endorphins; D018847:Opioid Peptides
keywords: Autism; Bovine casomorphin; Opioid peptides; Urine