Cytokine profile in a cohort of Egyptian patients with autism spectrum disorders

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Abstract

Background
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are considered one of the wide-ranging spectrums of neurodevelopmental disorders identified as 'pervasive developmental disorders,' which happen during the childhood. Evidence has been accumulating which suggests that immune system dysregulation is involved in the pathophysiology of autism. This study aims at investigating the serum levels of 16 cytokines in addition to CD4 T cell count in patients with ASD.
Patients and methods
A multiplex assay for a panel of 16 cytokines and chemokines was applied to serum samples from 39 autistic patients and matched controls ( = 23) using Luminex technology. CD4 T cell was estimated for all patients and controls using flow cytometry.
Results
Among a total of 16 analytes examined, the serum concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/CCL2, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and growth-regulated oncogene-α ( = 0.03, 0.01, and 0.03, respectively) were significantly higher in ASD patients as compared with matched controls. However, the macrophage-inhibitory factor result showed significant downregulation ( = 0.008) in autistic patients compared with controls. In addition, CD4 T cell count was significantly increased ( = 0.0002) in ASD patients in comparison with apparently healthy controls.
Conclusion
Children with ADS have significantly increased levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/CCL2, growth-regulated oncogene-α, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and CD4 T cell count, while macrophage-inhibitory factor was significantly decreased in comparison to controls, which suggests an underlying defect in the immune function and abnormal immune responses. These results may have intense implications for the treatment and diagnosis of ASD.

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