Section for Epidemiology, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Autism Res. 2012 Dec;5(6):428-33. doi: 10.1002/aur.1254. Epub 2012 Sep 24.
Evidence suggests that some developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), are caused by errors in brain plasticity. Given the important role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and neurotrophins (NTs) in neuroplasticity, amniotic fluid samples for 331 ASD cases and 698 frequency-matched controls were analyzed for levels of MMP-9, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, NT-4 and transforming growth factor-β utilizing a Danish historic birth cohort and Danish nationwide health registers. Laboratory measurements were performed using an in-house multiplex sandwich immunoassay Luminex xMAP method, and measurements were analyzed using tobit and logistic regression. Results showed elevated levels of MMP-9 in ASD cases compared with controls (crude and adjusted tobit regression P-values: 0.01 and 0.06). Our results highlight the importance of exploring the biologic impact of MMP-9 and potential therapeutic roles of its inhibitors in ASD and may indicate that neuroplastic impairments in ASD may present during pregnancy.
有证据表明，一些发育障碍，如自闭症谱系障碍（ASD），是由大脑可塑性错误引起的。鉴于基质金属蛋白酶（MMPs）和神经营养因子（NTs）在神经可塑性中的重要作用，对 331 例 ASD 病例和 698 例频率匹配对照的羊水样本进行了 MMP-9、脑源性神经营养因子、NT-4 和转化生长因子-β水平的分析，使用丹麦历史出生队列和丹麦全国健康登记处。使用内部多重夹心免疫测定 Luminex xMAP 方法进行实验室测量，并使用 Tobit 和逻辑回归分析测量结果。结果显示，ASD 病例中 MMP-9 水平高于对照组（未经调整和调整 Tobit 回归 P 值：0.01 和 0.06）。我们的结果强调了探索 MMP-9 的生物学影响及其抑制剂在 ASD 中的潜在治疗作用的重要性，这可能表明 ASD 中的神经可塑性障碍可能在怀孕期间出现。
