The urinary metabolomics profile of an Italian autistic children population and their unaffected siblings

Abstract

GC-MS-based metabolomic analysis of the urinary metabolome suggests to have the required sensitivity and specificity to gain insight into ASD phenotypes and aid a personalized network-based medicine approach.

Network Approach to Autistic Traits: Group and Subgroup Analyses of ADOS Item Scores

“…Applications to neuropsychiatry (as opposed to well characterized medical disorders and diseases) at the behavioral symptom level will initially be concerned with understanding behavioral level dynamics cross-sectionally and with network development. While network analyses have been widely applied in the field of autism research to genetic (Voineagu et al 2011;Veenstra-VanderWeele and Blakely 2012), neuroimaging (Anderson et al 2011) and metabolic data (Noto et al 2014), there has been very limited application at the behavioral or symptom level. In one report, Lyalina et al (2013) used a large medical data base in an attempt to discern what medical conditions and psychiatric conditions co-occurred with autism diagnoses.…”

Autism spectrum disorders and intestinal microbiota

“…In particular, we found increased levels of 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropanoic acid, cis-aconitic acid, glycolic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid, pyroglutamic acid and erythronic acid in the urine of children with an ASD, and some of these compounds have been previously linked to autistic disorders. 45,46,47 Finally, we have demonstrated the increased excretion of tryptophan, a neurotransmitter precursor of serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter. The increased urination of tryptophan fragments correlates with increased tryptophan degradation, and this increase has been observed in psychiatric conditions such as depression, mental retardation and anxiety.…”

“…The increased urination of tryptophan fragments correlates with increased tryptophan degradation, and this increase has been observed in psychiatric conditions such as depression, mental retardation and anxiety. 45 Both clinical and pre-clinical studies provide promising evidence that indicates an important role for dietetic components and the gut microbiota in developing new therapeutic approaches to managing neurodevelopmental disorders. Furthermore, the metabolomic characterization of patients with ASDs and the identification of a metabolomics signature may lead to an innovative diagnostic strategy.…”

Metabolomics Study of Urine in Autism Spectrum Disorders Using a Multiplatform Analytical Methodology

“…53 Our study also points out perturbations of phenylacetylglutamine (PAG) and p-cresol sulfate concentrations, which are also produced by the microbiota respectively from tyrosine 54 and phenylalanine. 55 These results which confirmed those previously reported 15,55 underline the importance of mammalian-microbial cometabolites in ASD, 16,17,53 supporting emerging evidence for a gut-brain connection in autism, wherein gastrointestinal microbiota may contribute to the ASD symptoms. 56 It has to be noticed that half of our autistic cohort is clinically diagnosed as suffering of gastrointestinal disturbances that include diarrhea, constipation, and colitis.…”