Role of visfatin, sirtuin 1 and apelin in patients with autism disorder

Introduction: Autism is one of the neurological disorders that vary in characters and degree of sternness. The aim of the study was to quantify the serum levels of some nitrogen metabolites, sirtuin 1, visfatin, apelin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in autistic patients and to evaluate their levels in contrast to normal participants. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 30 patients (20 males, 10 females) with autism, mean age 13 (4) years and 25 normal participants (15 males, 10 females), mean age 14 (3) years. The blood levels of visfatin, sirtuin 1, apelin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, glutamate dehydrogenase, gamma aminobutyric acid, glutamate, and glutamine were analyzed in all participants by using different techniques according to the manufacturer. Results: The statistical analyses of the data for the patients versus normal participants showed high prominent elevation in serum levels of visfatin (P=0.006), tumor necrosis factor-alpha(P=0.001), gamma aminobutyric acid (P=0.002), and glutamate (P=0.001). Conversely, high appreciable reductions were noted in serum levels of glutamine (P<0.001), sirtuin 1 (P=0.002),and apelin (P<0.001). Whereas non-momentous rise (P=0.083) was noted in serum level of glutamate dehydrogenase. Conclusion: The reason of abnormal serum levels of some nitrogen metabolites, cytokines (visfatin, and tumor necrosis factor–alpha), sirtuin 1, and apelin may contribute to the pathoetiology of autism. Thereafter these results may be important for identifying new treatment approach for autism.