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Cited by 101Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchHeavy Metal Exposure and ToxicityTrace Elements in Health

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A key role for an impaired detoxification mechanism in the etiology and severity of autism spectrum disorders

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Alabdali, Altaf, Al-Ayadhi, Laila, El-Ansary, Afaf·2014·Behavioral and Brain Functions
DOI 10.1186/1744-9081-10-14PMC PMC4017810
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a syndrome with a number of etiologies and different mechanisms that lead to abnormal development. The identification of autism biomarkers in patients with different degrees of clinical presentation (i.e., mild, moderate and severe) will give greater insight into the pathogenesis of this disease and will enable effective early diagnostic strategies and treatments for this disorder. METHODS: In this study, the concentration of two toxic heavy metals, lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), were measured in red blood cells, while glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and vitamin E, as enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, respectively, were measured in the plasma of subgroups of autistic patients with different Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores. The results were compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: The obtained data showed that the patients with autism spectrum disorder had significantly higher Pb and Hg levels and lower GST activity and vitamin E concentrations compared with the controls. The levels of heavy metals (Hg and Pb), GST and vitamin E were correlated with the severity of the social and cognitive impairment measures (SRS and CARS). Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis and predictiveness curves indicated that the four parameters show satisfactory sensitivity, very high specificity and excellent predictiveness. Multiple regression analyses confirmed that higher levels of Hg and Pb, together with lower levels of GST and vitamin E, can be used to predict social and cognitive impairment in patients with autism spectrum disorders. CONCLUSION: This study confirms earlier studies that implicate toxic metal accumulation as a consequence of impaired detoxification in autism and provides insight into the etiological mechanism of autism.

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Figure 1 Mean levels of A) mercury (μg/L), B) lead (μg/L), C) GST (μmol/min/ml) and D) vitamin E (nmol/L) of the autistic groups compared with age- and sex-matched controls. The mean value for each group is designated by a line.
Figure 1 Mean levels of A) mercury (μg/L), B) lead (μg/L), C) GST (μmol/min/ml) and D) vitamin E (nmol/L) of the autistic groups compared with age- and sex-matched controls. The mean value for each group is designated by a line.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Percentage change of A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic group relative to the control group, which is represented as 100%.
Figure 2 Percentage change of A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic group relative to the control group, which is represented as 100%.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 ROC-curves for A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic groups.
Figure 3 ROC-curves for A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic groups.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 4 Predictiveness curve for A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic patients.
Figure 4 Predictiveness curve for A) mercury, B) lead, C) GST and D) vitamin E in the autistic patients.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Al-Gadani Y, Al-Ansary A, Al-Attas O, Al-Ayadhi L: Oxidative stress andantioxidant status in Saudi autistic children. Clin Biochem. 2009, 24: 1032-1040. · DOI
  2. ATSDR: Toxicological Profile for Lead (update). (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). 1999, Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  3. Herndon AC, Diguiseppi C, Johndon SL: Dose nutritional intake differs between children with autism spectrum disorder and children with typical development?. Autism Dev Disord. 2008, 6: 341-349.

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Metadata

Authors
Alabdali, A., Al-Ayadhi, L., & El-Ansary, A.
Affiliations
King Saud University (SA)
Corresponding author
El-Ansary, Afaf
ORCID
Venue
Behavioral and Brain Functions
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-04-28
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
14-14
ISSN
1744-9081 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1744-9081-10-14
PMC
PMC4017810
OpenAlex
W2167410889
Cited by
101
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3
FWCI
5.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Behavioral and Brain Functions (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
King Saud University
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, autism severity, heavy metal toxicity, lead, mercury, glutathione S-transferase, vitamin E, antioxidant status, autism biomarkers, social dysfunction, cognitive impairment, plasma mercury
MeSH terms
Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Glutathione Transferase, Humans, Lead, Male, Mercury, Severity of Illness Index, Vitamin E, Biomarkers

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