Trace Elements in Medicine (Moscow)
2018, 19(3): 9-17
ORIGINAL PAPERS

INTERRELATION OF ESSENTIAL METALS AND TRACE ELEMENTS’ LEVELS IN HAIR AND SERUM WITH A CLINICAL PICTURE OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

A.A. Tinkov ^1,2, I.V. Zhegalova ¹, T.P. Klushnik ³, N.V. Simashkova ³, A.V. Skalny ^1,2,4

¹ Yaroslavl State University, Sovetskaya str., 14, Yaroslavl, 150000, Russia
² Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Miklukho-Maklaya str. 6, Moscow, 117198, Russia
³ Mental Health Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kashirskoye shosse, 34, Moscow, 115552, Russia
⁴ All-Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR), Grina str. 7/1, Moscow, 117216, Russia

DOI: 10.19112/2413-6174-2018-19-3-9-17 

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between altered metal-ligand homeostasis in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and clinical picture of the disease. The content of the elements in hair and serum of 76 children with ASD and 76 control subjects was assessed by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry using NexION 300D (PerkinElmer Inc., USA). A significant increase by 33% (p = 0.001) in the level of Co in the hair, as well as a decrease in the level of calcium and selenium by 23% (p = 0.014) and 15% (p = 0.005), respectively, were detected in children with ASD. A significant increase in the concentration of Co, Mg, and V by 17 (p = 0.001), 4% (p = 0.002) and 29% (p <0.001) was observed in the serum of children with ASD, while the concentration of manganese and selenium decreased by 16% (p = 0.033) and 8% (p = 0.008), respectively. Multiple regression analysis (after adjustment for sex, age, phase and form of the disease) allowed to reveal the relationship between the presence of psychopath-like syndrome and iron levels in serum (β = 0.393) and hair (β = 0.320), speech development delay with hair copper (β = 0.281) and serum cobalt (β = 0.391), infantile psychosis and zinc level in the hair (β = 0.332). At the same time, 33% (p = 0.005), 17% (p = 0.089), and 31% (p = 0.007) of the variability of these characteristics were responsible for the overall models. Thus, the obtained data indicate that the disruption of the metabolism of essential metals and trace elements is associated not only with the presence of ASD but also the clinical picture of the disease, which indi-cates the importance of monitoring of the metal ligand homeostasis in children with autism.

KEYWORDS: autism, selenium, zinc, iron, predictors.