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Oxidative stress and immune system dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders
This 2020 study focuses on autism spectrum disorders, which are neurodevelopmental disorders linked with social and behavioral impairments. This article points out that so far only a limited number of molecules have been highlighted as potential drug targets for autism spectrum disorders. While the research has been often fixated on characterizing pathways involved in neural development and synaptic plasticity (since they support the pathogenesis of these disorders), recent investigations have identified immune system dysfunctions in autism spectrum disorder. Moreover, a high abundance of reactant oxygen species (which cause oxidative stress) is reported to be seen in patients with ASD. This present review informs us of the major changes in the expression of genes coding for enzymes involved in the reactant oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system observed in both ASD patients and ASD mouse models. Also discussed is the possible correlation between oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune system dysfunction with the pathogenesis and/or severity of ASD. The review then covers the novel treatments designed to reverse this interaction between ROS and inflammation in people with ASD. [NPID: autism, autism spectrum, ASD, immune system, review, inflammation, oxidation, oxidative stress]
Year: 2020
