Treating Oxidative Stress in Children With Autism

An open label trial was undertaken in 40 autistic children to determine whether treatment with metabolic precursors methylcobalamin and folinic acid would improve plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress and measures of core behavior using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). Metabolites involved in methionine and glutathione synthesis and VABS behavior scores were measured before and after a three month intervention period.

The results indicated that pre-treatment metabolites in autistic children were significantly different from values in age-matched control children. The three month intervention resulted in significant increases in cysteine, cysteinylglycine, and glutathione (GSH, p < 0.001). The oxidized disulfide form of glutathione (GSSG) was decreased (p < 0.008) and the glutathione redox ratio (GSH/GSSG) was increased after treatment (p < 0.001). Although significantly improved, these metabolites remained below control levels after intervention (p > 0.01). Similarly, increases in VABS composite score and sub-scores for Socialization, Communication, and Daily Living Skills increased after treatment (p < 0.007) but also remained below standard scores.