Children Nutrition Research Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China; China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China.
Children Nutrition Research Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China; China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China.
Brain Res Bull. 2018 Mar;137:35-40. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.11.001. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complicated neurodevelopmental disorders. Many studies have demonstrated that children with autism have multiple nutritional deficiencies and increased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels. In our previous study, 77.9% of autistic children were found to have vitamin A deficiency, and the concentration of vitamin A was negatively associated with the CARS score. In the present study, we sought to test whether vitamin A supplementation could improve autistic symptoms and decrease serum 5-HT levels. The DSM-V criteria and CARS score were used for symptom description and symptom assessment of the patients, respectively, before and after vitamin A supplementation (VAS). Serum retinol and 5-HT levels, mRNA levels of RAR α, β, and γ and TpH 1 expression were detected in autistic children before and after VAS and in normal children. Serum retinol levels in children with ASD were significantly lower than in control children. Serum 5-HT levels in children with ASD were higher than in control children, which were correlated with symptom severity of children with autism. After VA supplementation, the children with ASD exhibited significant improvement in autism symptoms. Serum retinol concentrations of children with ASD were significantly increased, and serum 5-HT levels were decreased. Moreover, statistically significant changes were observed in mRNA expression levels of RAR α, RAR γ and TpH 1 after VAS compared to baseline. This study suggested that VA supplementation may improve symptoms and reduce 5-HT levels in children with ASD, indicating that VA supplementation is a reasonable therapy at least for a subset of children with autism.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种复杂的神经发育障碍。许多研究表明，自闭症儿童存在多种营养缺乏和血清 5-羟色胺（5-HT）水平升高。在我们之前的研究中，发现 77.9%的自闭症儿童存在维生素 A 缺乏，维生素 A 浓度与 CARS 评分呈负相关。在本研究中，我们试图测试维生素 A 补充是否可以改善自闭症症状并降低血清 5-HT 水平。DSM-V 标准和 CARS 评分分别用于描述和评估患者在维生素 A 补充（VAS）前后的症状。在 VAS 前后以及正常儿童中检测了自闭症儿童的血清视黄醇和 5-HT 水平、RARα、β和γ的 mRNA 水平以及 TpH1 的表达。自闭症儿童的血清视黄醇水平明显低于对照组儿童。自闭症儿童的血清 5-HT 水平高于对照组儿童，且与自闭症儿童的症状严重程度相关。VA 补充后，自闭症儿童的自闭症症状明显改善。自闭症儿童的血清视黄醇浓度显著升高，血清 5-HT 水平降低。此外，与基线相比，VAS 后 RARα、RARγ和 TpH1 的 mRNA 表达水平也观察到了统计学上的显著变化。这项研究表明，VA 补充可能改善自闭症儿童的症状并降低 5-HT 水平，表明 VA 补充至少对一部分自闭症儿童是一种合理的治疗方法。
