Immune activation of peripheral blood and mucosal CD3+ lymphocyte cytokine profiles in children with autism and gastrointestinal symptoms

Ashwood P, Wakefield A. Journal of Neuroimmunology

Abstract
Gastrointestinal pathlogy, characterized by lymphoid nodular hyperplasia and entero-colitis, has been demonstrated in a cohort of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Systemic and intestinal mucosal immune dysregulation was assessed in ASD children with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (n=18), and typically developing controls (n=27), including non-inflamed controls (NIC) and inflamed GI control children with Crohn's disease (CD), by analysis of intracellular cytokines in CD3+ lymphocytes. In both peripheral blood and mucosa, CD3+ TNFα and CD3+ IFN-γ were increased in ASD children compared with NIC (p<0.004) and reached levels similar to CD. In contrast, peripheral and mucosal CD3+ IL-10 were markedly lower in ASD children with GI symptoms compared with both NIC and CD controls (p<0.02). In addition, mucosal CD3+ IL-4+ cells were increased (p<0.007) in ASD compared with NIC. There is a unique pattern of peripheral blood and mucosal CD3+ lymphocytes intracellular cytokines, which is consistent with significant immune dysregulation, in this ASD cohort.

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