High Serum Levels of Serum 100 Beta Protein, Neuron-specific Enolase, Tau, Active Caspase-3, M30 and M65 in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate whether neuronal, axonal, and glial cell markers (Neuron-specific enolase [NSE], tau, serum 100 beta protein [S100B], respectively) and apoptosis markers (active caspase 3, M30, M65) and whether these parameters can be used as diagnostic biomarkers in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods: This study measured the serum S100B, NSE, tau, active caspase 3, M30, and M65 levels in 43 patients with ASD (aged 3−12 years) and in 41 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. ASD severity was rated using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The serum levels were determined in the biochemistry laboratory using the ELISA technique. The receiver operator characteristics curve method was employed to evaluate the accuracy of the parameters in diagnosing ASD. Results: Serum S100B, tau, NSE, active caspase-3, M30, and M65 levels were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p ＜ 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.002, p = 0.005, p ＜ 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively). The cutoff value of S100B was 48.085 pg/ml (sensitivity: 74.4%, specificity: 80.5%, areas under the curve: 0.879, p ＜ 0.001). Conclusion: Apoptosis increased in children with ASD, and neuronal, axonal, and glial cell injury was observed. In addition, S100B may be an important diagnostic biomarker in patients with ASD. Apoptosis, and neuronal, axonal and astrocyte pathologies may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of ASD, and further studies are now required to confirm this.

Alterations in Tau Protein Level and Phosphorylation State in the Brain of the Autistic-Like Rats Induced by Prenatal Exposure to Valproic Acid

“…Novel and more recent studies revealed changes in Tau protein expression in autistic patients suggest the importance of dyshomeostasis of this protein in the aetiology of ASD [ 28 , 41 , 42 ]. There are indications that suggest that “Alzheimer’s protein” may turn up as a potential target for autism treatments after that in murine models of ASD a genetic reduction in Tau levels eases the symptoms typical for autism [ 40 ].…”

“…One of the key proteins responsible for the stabilization and regulation of the MTs network is Tau (tubulin-associated unit), which is mainly found in the axonal compartment [ 27 ]. Therefore, Tau plays a particularly important role in the stabilization of axonal MTs thus enables axonal transport of signal molecules and trophic factors as well as participates in the processes of neurite growth and synaptogenesis [ 28 , 29 ]. The affinity of Tau for the MTs depends on its phosphorylation state [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Until now, changes in the level of Tau protein and the processes of its phosphorylation have been intensively studied in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in which hyperphosphorylated Tau protein is deposited in the brain in the form of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and is involved in the molecular mechanisms of neuronal death [ 33 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Novel and most interesting data suggest that changes in the level of Tau protein and its phosphorylation state may also be important in the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders and in the formation of autistic-like behaviour [ 17 , 28 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. However, there are relatively sparse data and the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of autism are not fully elucidated.…”

Peripheral Blood S100B Levels in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The included studies were published from 2012 to 2019 (Abou-Donia et al 2019 ; Al-Ayadhi and Mostafa 2012 ; Ayaydin and Kirmit 2020 ; Esnafoglu et al 2017 ; Guloksuz et al 2017 ; Ma et al 2019 ; Peng and Zhu 2017 ; Shaker et al 2016 ; Tomova et al 2019 ; Zhou 2015 ) (Table 1 ). Ten studies encompassed 822 participants and 451 cases.…”

“…Ten studies encompassed 822 participants and 451 cases. Three studies were performed in China(Ma et al 2019;Peng and Zhu 2017;Zhou 2015), three in Turkey(Ayaydin and Kirmit 2020;Esnafoglu et al 2017;Guloksuz et al 2017), one in the USA (Abou-Donia et al 2019), one in Saudi Arabia (Al-Ayadhi and Mostafa 2012), one in…”