title: Autistic children exhibit decreased levels of essential Fatty acids in red blood cells.
abstract: Omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are essential nutrients for brain development and function. However, whether or not the levels of these fatty acids are altered in individuals with autism remains debatable. In this study, we compared the fatty acid contents between 121 autistic patients and 110 non-autistic, non-developmentally delayed controls, aged 3-17. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipids showed that the percentage of total PUFA was lower in autistic patients than in controls; levels of n-6 arachidonic acid (AA) and n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were particularly decreased (p<0.001). In addition, plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory AA metabolite prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were higher in a subset of the autistic participants (n=20) compared to controls. Our study demonstrates an alteration in the PUFA profile and increased production of a PUFA-derived metabolite in autistic patients, supporting the hypothesis that abnormal lipid metabolism is implicated in autism.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA. sarah.brigandi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Brigandi
authors.affiliation: Genetics Diagnostic Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. hongshao138@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA. steven.qian@ndsu.edu.
authors.forename: Steven Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Genetics Diagnostic Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. yiping.shen@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Yiping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Genetics Diagnostic Lab, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. bai-lin.wu@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Bai-Lin
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA. kang.jing@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Jing X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000097:blood; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015232:Dinoprostone