Ouisselsat Mariam, El Maouaki Amal, Maidoumi Sana, François Yannick, Pineau Alain, Sedki Azeddine
Laboratory of Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences - Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Bd Moulay Abdellah BP, 2390-40001, Marrakech, Morocco.
Laboratory of Clinical, Experimental and Environmental Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, 274, 40000, Marrakech, Morocco.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Apr;203(4):2394-2408. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04319-w. Epub 2024 Jul 23.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become a global public health concern, impacting the quality of life. The question of gene-environment interaction in the emergence of ASD remains a subject of ongoing debate, and exploring its pathophysiology is thoroughly related to metals as a risk factor. Therefore, this study aims to assess the levels of toxic (Al, Cd, Hg, and Pb) and essential (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Se) elements in toenail samples collected in children with ASD and neurotypical children, by ICP-MS. Parallelly, we will discuss the use of toenails as an exposure indicator. The study involved 208 children aged 3 to 14 from Marrakech, Morocco. One hundred two were diagnosed with ASD and 106 were neurotypical children. Significant statistical differences in the concentration of Cr, Mn, and Fe were documented between the two groups. Higher levels of Pb in toenails compared to reference values have been reported. No association was established between concentrations of elements and age. Spearman correlation coefficients revealed a significantly different pattern of mutual dependence for toxic and essential elements between the two groups. The strongest positive correlations were found in the neurotypical group (Fe-Mn (ρ = 0.750), and Se-Zn (ρ = 0.800)). These results provide additional, although inconclusive, evidence on the probable role of element disturbance in the pathogenesis of ASD. Further studies should be performed to explore other nutritional, cultural, sociodemographic, environmental, and methodological factors that may impact the levels of these elements in the nails and their possible correlation with the incidence of ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）已成为全球公共卫生关注的问题，影响着生活质量。ASD发生过程中基因与环境相互作用的问题仍是一个持续争论的话题，而探索其病理生理学与作为风险因素的金属密切相关。因此，本研究旨在通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）评估ASD儿童和神经发育正常儿童采集的趾甲样本中有毒元素（铝、镉、汞和铅）和必需元素（铬、锰、铁、镍、铜、锌和硒）的含量。同时，我们将讨论将趾甲用作暴露指标的情况。该研究涉及来自摩洛哥马拉喀什的208名3至14岁的儿童。其中102名被诊断为患有ASD，106名是神经发育正常的儿童。两组之间铬、锰和铁的浓度存在显著统计学差异。报告显示，与参考值相比，趾甲中铅的含量更高。未发现元素浓度与年龄之间存在关联。斯皮尔曼相关系数显示，两组中有毒元素和必需元素之间的相互依赖模式存在显著差异。在神经发育正常的组中发现了最强的正相关（铁-锰（ρ = 0.750），以及硒-锌（ρ = 0.800））。这些结果为元素紊乱在ASD发病机制中的可能作用提供了额外的、尽管尚无定论的证据。应进行进一步研究，以探索可能影响指甲中这些元素水平及其与ASD发病率可能相关性的其他营养、文化、社会人口统计学、环境和方法学因素。
