I.T.S College of Pharmacy, Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, India.
Kharvel Subharti College of Pharmacy, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut, India.
CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2023;22(5):659-677. doi: 10.2174/1871527321666220428134802.
Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complicated developmental disease characterized by persistent difficulties in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/ repetitive activities. Our goal is to deliver a step ahead awareness on neurodevelopment in ASD through early behavioral screenings, genetic testing, and detection of various environmental triggers. This would significantly reduce the tally of people with autistic characteristics. As of now, much work is to be done in understanding and treating ASD. Firstly, awareness campaigns must be organized and maintained so that ASD children can be identified and treated feasibly. Secondly, prenatal and prepregnancy environmental risk awareness, including advice against consanguineous marriages, information on optimum mother nutrition, and minimizing pollutants exposure, can be focused. Finally, the extension of genetic screening along with early postnatal monitoring of newborn feeding, nutrition, and eye contact will help in early therapy. People with ASD have strict dietary habits, but they are also more prone to gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhoea, constipation, and sometimes irritable bowel syndrome. Despite significant studies on the symptoms and possible causes of ASD, GI dysfunction is becoming a hot issue of discussion. Dietary strategies can partially help to alleviate both GI and behavioural issues due to the link between gut-microbiota and brain activity. Dietary treatments may be less expensive, easier to administer and have fewer adverse effects than pharmacological interventions. Hence, there is an increasing interest in autistic children's customized diets and supplements. Future studies should look at whether these diets are applicable to diverse people and whether they are practical in various circumstances (areas with fewer resources, lower socioeconomic areas, countries with different dietary restrictions, etc.). The dietary phytochemicals, including curcumin, resveratrol, naringenin, and sulforaphane, have a substantial role as neurotherapeutic agents. These agents can act as an antioxidant, immunomodulator, gut microbiota modulator and Nrf2 activator to provide benefits to ASD patients. Hence an urgent need is to create brain-targeted delivery methods for these dietary phytochemicals and to investigate their therapeutic value in ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 是一种复杂的发育性疾病，其特征是在社交互动、言语和非言语交流以及受限/重复活动方面持续存在困难。我们的目标是通过早期行为筛查、基因测试和检测各种环境触发因素，在神经发育方面提供更深入的认识。这将显著减少具有自闭症特征的人数。目前，还有很多工作需要在理解和治疗 ASD 方面完成。首先，必须组织和维持宣传活动，以便能够识别和合理治疗 ASD 儿童。其次，应该关注产前和孕前环境风险意识，包括反对近亲结婚的建议、关于最佳母亲营养的信息以及尽量减少污染物暴露。最后，通过遗传筛查并在新生儿喂养、营养和眼神接触方面进行早期监测，可以进行早期治疗。患有 ASD 的人饮食习惯严格，但他们也更容易出现胃肠道问题，包括腹泻、便秘，有时还会出现肠易激综合征。尽管对 ASD 的症状和可能的原因进行了大量研究，但胃肠道功能障碍正成为讨论的热点问题。由于肠道微生物群和大脑活动之间存在联系，饮食策略可以部分帮助缓解胃肠道和行为问题。饮食治疗可能比药物干预更便宜、更容易实施且副作用更少。因此，人们对自闭症儿童的定制饮食和补充剂越来越感兴趣。未来的研究应该研究这些饮食是否适用于不同的人群，以及在各种情况下（资源较少的地区、社会经济水平较低的地区、有不同饮食限制的国家等）是否实用。膳食植物化学物质，包括姜黄素、白藜芦醇、柚皮苷和萝卜硫素，作为神经治疗剂具有重要作用。这些药物可以作为抗氧化剂、免疫调节剂、肠道微生物群调节剂和 Nrf2 激活剂，为 ASD 患者带来益处。因此，迫切需要为这些膳食植物化学物质创建靶向大脑的输送方法，并研究它们在 ASD 中的治疗价值。
