Interleukin (IL) receptor expression has been shown to increase significantly during maternal immune activation. It has been suggested that dysfunctional Interleukin activity is associated with cortical dysplasia and ASD-like behaviors. We measured the concentration of 30 cell receptors, including 5 Interleukin receptors (IL-1R, IL-2R, IL-10R, IL-17R and IL-21R) from mothers with at least one autistic child and neurotypical, gender and age similar controls, using immune-arrays. Of the 5 Interleukin receptors, 4 (IL-1R, IL-10R, IL-17R and IL-21R) had concentrations significantly higher in mothers of autistic children, when compared to neurotypical controls.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), originally described as an endothelial cell-specific mitogen, is produced by many cell types including macrophages and platelets. It plays an important role in the development and function of the central and peripheral nervous system. In this study, we used immune-arrays to measure VEGF in mothers of autistic children and controls. We found that VEGF plasma levels of mothers of autistic children were significantly lower than controls. These results suggest that VEGF may be associated with the etiology of autism and may have a diagnostic role in ASD.
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