Neurodevelopmental Biology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Research Laboratory, Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Neurodevelopmental Biology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Research Laboratory, Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Neuroscience. 2024 Aug 30;554:72-82. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.012. Epub 2024 Jul 14.
Vitamin A (VA) has many functions in the body, some of which are key for the development and functioning of the nervous system, while some others might indirectly influence neural function. Both hypovitaminosis and hypervitaminosis A can lead to clinical manifestations of concern for individuals and for general global health. Scientific evidence on the link between VA and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is growing, with some clinical studies and accumulating results obtained from basic research using cellular and animal models. Remarkably, it has been shown that VA deficiency can exacerbate autistic symptomatology. In turn, VA supplementation has been shown to be able to improve autistic symptomatology in selected groups of individuals with ASD. However, it is important to recognize that ASD is a highly heterogeneous condition. Therefore, it is important to clarify how and when VA supplementation can be of benefit for affected individuals. Here we delve into the relationship between VA and ASD, discussing clinical observations and mechanistic insights obtained from research on selected autistic syndromes and laboratory models to advance in defining how the VA signaling pathway can be exploited for treatment of ASD.
维生素 A（VA）在体内具有多种功能，其中一些对于神经系统的发育和功能至关重要，而另一些则可能间接影响神经功能。维生素 A 缺乏症和维生素 A 过多症均可导致个体和全球整体健康的临床关注表现。关于维生素 A 与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）之间联系的科学证据不断增加，一些临床研究和使用细胞和动物模型进行的基础研究积累了越来越多的结果。值得注意的是，已经表明维生素 A 缺乏症会使自闭症症状恶化。相反，补充维生素 A 已被证明能够改善特定 ASD 人群的自闭症症状。然而，必须认识到 ASD 是一种高度异质性的疾病。因此，必须明确维生素 A 补充在何时以及如何对受影响的个体有益。在这里，我们深入探讨了维生素 A 与 ASD 之间的关系，讨论了从对特定自闭症综合征和实验室模型的研究中获得的临床观察和机制见解，以深入了解维生素 A 信号通路如何用于治疗 ASD。
