Stojsavljević Aleksandar, Lakićević Novak, Pavlović Slađan
Innovative Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Clinic for Neurosurgery, Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro.
Toxics. 2023 Sep 5;11(9):753. doi: 10.3390/toxics11090753.
Environmental pollutants, particularly toxic trace metals with neurotoxic potential, have been related to the genesis of autism. One of these metals that stands out, in particular, is lead (Pb). We conducted an in-depth systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies on Pb levels in biological materials retrieved from autistic children (cases) and neurotypical children (controls) in this work. A systematic review was conducted after the careful selection of published studies according to established criteria to gain a broad insight into the higher or lower levels of Pb in the biological materials of cases and controls, and the findings were then strengthened by a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 17 studies (hair), 13 studies (whole blood), and 8 studies (urine). The overall number of controls/cases was 869/915 (hair), 670/755 (whole blood), and 344/373 (urine). This meta-analysis showed significantly higher Pb levels in all three types of biological material in cases than in controls, suggesting a higher body Pb burden in autistic children. Thus, environmental Pb exposure could be related to the genesis of autism. Since no level of Pb can be considered safe, the data from this study undoubtedly point to the importance of regularly monitoring Pb levels in autistic children.
环境污染物，尤其是具有神经毒性潜力的有毒微量金属，与自闭症的成因有关。其中特别突出的一种金属是铅（Pb）。在这项工作中，我们对从自闭症儿童（病例）和神经典型儿童（对照）获取的生物材料中铅含量的同行评审研究进行了深入的系统综述和荟萃分析。根据既定标准仔细筛选已发表的研究后进行了系统综述，以全面了解病例和对照生物材料中铅含量的高低情况，然后通过荟萃分析强化研究结果。荟萃分析包括17项关于头发的研究、13项关于全血的研究和8项关于尿液的研究。对照/病例的总数分别为869/915（头发）、670/755（全血）和344/373（尿液）。这项荟萃分析表明，病例组所有三种生物材料中的铅含量均显著高于对照组，这表明自闭症儿童体内的铅负担更高。因此，环境铅暴露可能与自闭症的成因有关。由于不存在任何安全的铅含量水平，本研究的数据无疑表明了定期监测自闭症儿童铅含量水平的重要性。
