Another good reason to use ALA?

[Guest guest]

From the Schafer report

RESEARCH

Link Between Autism & Abnormal Blood-vessel Function & Oxidative

Stress

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=49786

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of

Medicine discovered that children with autism showed signs of

abnormal blood-vessel function and damaging levels of oxidative

stress compared to healthy children. The children with autism

possessed levels of biochemicals that indicate the presence of

constricted blood vessels via the endothelium (the cells that line

vessels) with a higher tendency to form clots (through cells called

platelets).

By exploring the relationship between oxidative stress and

blood-vessel function in autistic patients, investigators hope to

find new therapeutic options for this syndrome. The researchers, led

by Domenico Pratico, MD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology,

published their findings in the August issue of the Archives of

Neurology.

According to the Autism Society of America, the reported

number of autism cases is increasing 10 to 17 percent per year in

the United States. Autism, an early onset neurological disorder, is

characterized by impaired social interactions, limited verbal and

nonverbal communication, and repetitive and restricted behavioral

patterns. Patients with autism can differ in the severity and scope

of their symptoms, suggesting that multiple factors contribute to

explaining the disorder's symptoms. Previous studies at other

institutions have shown that autistic patients have reduced cerebral

blood flow, presumably due to constricted blood vessels in the

brain, versus healthy controls.

Urinary samples of autistic children who were similar in age

and healthy controls were provided by the Pfeiffer Treatment Center

(www.hriptc.org/), where patients were diagnosed with autism

disorder and evaluated. Patients were excluded from analysis if they

had ever received anti-oxidant treatments or medicine with any known

anti-oxidant effect; if they suffered from chronic illnesses, such

as depression, psychosis, or inflammatory disorders; and/or if they

were sick at the time of the sample collection. These strict

criteria resulted in the small sample size in this preliminary

study: 26 children with autism and 12 healthy controls.

Pratico's team measured isoprostane, a biomarker for oxidative

stress; thromboxane, an index of platelet activation; and

prostacyclin, a measure of blood vessel activation in the

samples. " This study represents the first observation that the rates

of thromboxane and prostacyclin synthesis are both not only

significantly increased in autism, but are closely correlated with

the rate of oxidative stress, " says Pratico. Compared with controls,

children with autism had significantly higher urinary levels of

isoprostane, thromboxone, and prostacyclin.

Oxidative stress is the result of an excessive formation of

chemically unstable byproducts, called free radicals, within the

cell. Under normal conditions, the cell is able to destroy the free

radicals. However, when excessive free radicals accumulate, these

molecules mount an attack against the cell in search of chemical

stability.

" During oxidative stress, it is as if the free radicals have

only one leg, " explains Pratico. " They are searching for the second

leg in order to keep from falling. Unfortunately, the ability of the

excessive free radicals to reestablish their chemical equilibrium

comes always with a price for the organ -- irreversible cellular and

organ damage. " Free radicals can damage cell membranes, proteins,

and genes by oxidation -- the same chemical reaction that causes

iron to rust.

Pratico and colleagues measured levels of isoprostane, the

chemical byproduct of free radicals attacking fat cells and found

that patients with autism possess nearly double the level of

oxidative stress than that measured in healthy controls.

The samples from autistic patients also revealed a biochemical

imbalance in the patients' blood vessels, resulting in high levels

of thromboxane - an indicator of platelet activity - and

prostacyclin, an indicator of constricting endothelial cells. During

normal function, thromboxane and prostacyclin work together to

maintain the integrity of vessels. In response to different kinds of

stress, platelets release thromboxane, which causes vessels to

contract. The endothelium responds to elevated levels of thromboxane

by releasing prostacyclin. This event counterbalances the effect on

vessels, inducing dilation of the vessel and, in turn, more blood

flow.

Autism is a complex neurological disorder and oxidative

imbalance is one feature of the autistic syndrome. Several lines of

evidence support the hypothesis that oxidative imbalance may also

play a role in this disease: autism is characterized by an impaired

anti-oxidant defense system, higher free-radical production, and

improvement of behavioral symptoms after taking anti-oxidants.

" In general, it is known that abnormalities in blood vessels

can be clinically reflected by an abnormal blood flow, " says

Pratico. " In this regard, it is interesting that earlier

neuroimaging studies of autistic children have demonstrated a

reduced amount of blood reaching the brain. Shedding more light on

the relationship of oxidative stress and blood-vessel health to the

pathology of autism could lead to improvements in therapy. "