Improvement of sleep patterns and serum melatonin levels in children with autism spectrum disorders after consumption of beta-1,3/1,6-glucan in a pilot clinical study

Abstract

Study objectives: Poor sleep quality is a major problem that patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face, which is attributed to their low melatonin levels. Melatonin supplementation is recommended, but its effectiveness is varied. Beta-glucans have previously been reported to improve melatonin levels in animal studies. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of Aureobasidium pullulans (Nichi Glucan), a species of black yeast that contains beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, in a pilot study of children with ASD. Methods Thirteen children (age = 2.5 to 13 years) with ASD were recruited into the study. The control group consisted of four patients (Gr. 1), while nine patients were in the treatment group (Gr. 2). Gr. 2 received 1 g of Nichi Glucan along with conventional therapy, whereas Gr. 1 underwent conventional therapy alone for 90 days. The serum melatonin levels and sleep patterns, assessed using a subjective questionnaire, were evaluated before and after treatment. Results In Gr. 2, the average serum melatonin level increased from 238.85 ng/dl pre-intervention to 394.72 ng/dl post-intervention. Eight out of nine subjects (88%) in Gr. 2 group showed and improvement in their sleep pattern and quality, while this improvement was not observed in the control group. Conclusions Our study is the first in the literature to report that consumption of Nichi Glucan for 90 days showed visible improvement in sleep quality, sleep pattern, and serum melatonin levels. A larger multicentre study is warranted to validate our findings.

Improvement of behavioural pattern and alpha-synuclein levels in autism spectrum disorder after consumption of a beta-glucan food supplement in a randomised, parallel-group pilot clinical study

“…The improvement in behaviour can be attributed to the improvement in sleep parameters 20 as consumption of Nichi Glucan for 90 days has been able to improve the sleep quality and sleep pattern by a correlating increase in Open access serum melatonin levels as well. 21 In a correlating hypothesis of the plasma alpha-synuclein level, between autism and neurodegenerative diseases, it has been proposed that alpha-synuclein aggregation in the neural synapse may lead to lower plasma levels. 5 Whether the increase in alpha-synuclein levels in plasma in the ASD patients after Nichi Glucan supplementation is due to regulation/prevention of alpha-synuclein's aggregation in the neural synapse must be investigated because an earlier study on beta-glucan from yeast showed reduction in alpha-synuclein expression on the brain substantia nigra in Parkinson's rat model.…”

“…In this study of 13 subjects, the behavioural pattern evaluated by the CARS score improved in all nine subjects of Gr.2 (Nichi Glucan) (figure 1), especially on the emotional aspects and sleep-related parameters, and the alpha-synuclein levels increased significantly in these nine subjects compared with the control (figure 2). The improvement in behaviour can be attributed to the improvement in sleep parameters20 as consumption of Nichi Glucan for 90 days has been able to improve the sleep quality and sleep pattern by a correlating increase in serum melatonin levels as well 21. In a correlating hypothesis of the plasma alpha-synuclein level, between autism and neurodegenerative diseases, it has been proposed that alpha-synuclein aggregation in the neural synapse may lead to lower plasma levels 5.…”

Two unique biological response-modifier glucans beneficially regulating gut microbiota and faecal metabolome in a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis animal model, with potential for applications in human health and disease

“…Moreover, it produces positive effects on melatonin and alpha-synuclein neurotransmitters and sleep and behaviour in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD. [7, 8] In a previous NASH animal study, AFO-202 beta-glucan significantly decreased the inflammation-associated hepatic cell ballooning and steatosis. [10] The N-163 beta-glucan has immunomodulatory benefits in terms of regulating dyslipidaemia, which is evident from the balance in the levels of non-esterified fatty acids[16] and decrease in fibrosis and inflammation in NASH.…”

“…Beta-glucans are one of the most promising nutritional supplements with established efficacy against metabolic diseases, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological diseases. Beta-glucans derived from two strains of the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans, AFO-202 and N-163, have beneficial effects against diabetes, [5] dyslipidaemia, [6] ASD, [7,8] Duchenne muscular dystrophy, [9] non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), [10] and infectious diseases including coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [11,12] A previous study showed that AFO-202 beta-1,3-1,6 glucan balanced the gut microbiome in ASD children.…”

Improvement of sleep and melatonin in children with autism spectrum disorder after β‐1,3/1,6‐glucan consumption: An open‐label prospective pilot clinical study

“…In addition, clinical research reports have revealed the beneficial effects of Nichi Glucan, a beta‐1,3/1,6‐glucan food supplement derived from the Aureobasidium pullulans strain AFO‐202, on metabolic disorders (Dedeepiya et al., 2012 ; Ganesh et al., 2014 ) and cancer (Mio, 2014 ; Mizobuchi et al., 2008 ), and as a vaccine adjuvant for coronavirus disease 2019 (Ikewaki et al., 2021 ). In a pilot clinical study, we previously explored the effects of Nichi Glucan on sleep patterns and serum melatonin levels in children with ASD (available as preprint; Raghavan et al., 2021 ).…”