AUTISTIC CHILD AND HIS MOTHER: MARKER MOLECULES OF BLOOD AND REFLECTION OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR DISTURBANCES

Autism is gradually becoming an epidemic. The frequency of this disorder now is one per 60–80 infants, against 1:5000-10000 approximately 60–70 years ago. Because epidemics of genetic disease do not occur, this confirms that most cases of autism are not associated with the genome problems but rather with the progressive deepening of environmental problems. Environmental pressure may be barely noticeable for an adult, but this could disturb the development of a much more fragile foetus. A variety of industrial and agricultural pollutants, heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria, etc. may be involved in the pathogenesis of autism. All of them cause similar persistent changes in the production of autoantibodies and cytokines influencing the foetal development. Moreover, trans-placental transfer of the excess of some maternal аuto-antibodies of IgG class leads to pre-birth ‘tuning’ of the immune system of the foetus by mechanisms of maternal immune imprinting. This phenomenon could be an additional factor in the pathogenesis of autism. It is noted that the environment-induced immune changes are mostly adaptive for the mother; however, for the unborn child, they can often be the factors of pathogenesis. Discuss the possibility of the study of repertoires of maternal autoantibodies for the prediction of normal or abnormal development of the foetus and the birth of the newborn with congenital disorders that are not caused by gene defects

Application of ELI-P-complex method in clinical obstetrics

Problem: Evaluation of embryotropic natural auto-antibodies (a-Abs) of IgG class in blood serum of women planning pregnancy or in that of already pregnant women is necessary in order to predict the course of gestation and pregnancy outcomes. Method of study: The ELISA-based probability of pathology in pregnancy (ELI-P)-complex method is based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology. We used it to evaluate serum samples of 380 women with complicated obstetric anamnesis (COA) by measuring contents/affinity (immunoreactivity; IR) of a-Abs interacting with eight specific antigens related to mechanisms of gestation process. The control group was presented by 30 healthy women without COA. For each woman we carried out a pre-gestational investigation and, if necessary, performed a standard antibacterial/antiviral treatment and correction of endocrine state. Results: We found that 92.6% of investigated women with COA were characterized by deviations in serum IR of the examined a-Abs. In contrast, in the control group there were no immune deviations related to the examined a-Abs. A direct relation was revealed between normal or deviated serum IR of investigated a-Abs and physiological or pathological pregnancy development and pregnancy outcome. Conclusion: We recommend ELI-P-complex as a screening and monitoring tool for predicting pregnancy outcomes and providing proper treatment therapies

Adaptive Maternal Immune Deviations as a Ground For Autism Spectrum Disorders Development in Children

Autism is a vexed problem today. Overall, there is a high frequency of birth children (1:80 – 1:150) with late diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and this trend is getting progressively stronger. The causes for the currently increased frequency of ASD and the pathogenesis of ASD are not fully understood yet. One of the most likely mechanisms inducing ASD may be a maternal immune imprinting. This phenomenon is based on transplacental translocation of maternal antibodies of IgG class and, as a consequence, on the epigenetic “tuning” of immune system of the fetus and child. This mechanism provides development of child’s anti-infection resistance before meeting with microorganisms, but it can be also a cause of inborn pathology including the ASD appearance. The quantitative changes in maternal blood serum autoantibodies depend on a specific microbial population, or are induced by environmental chemical pollutants in association with some individual features of the maternal metabolism. These immune changes are adaptive in most cases for the maternal organism, but can be pathogenic for the fetus in some cases. We discuss in the present paper the possibilities to predict the risk from abnormal development of nervous system in fetus and early diagnosis of ASD in high-risk group of children