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Review
. 2021 Jan 29;7(1):e06105.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06105. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Gut microbiota metabolites in autistic children: An epigenetic perspective

Hussein Sabit  1 , Huseyin Tombuloglu  1 , Suriya Rehman  2 , Noor B Almandil  3 , Emre Cevik  1 , Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany  4 , Sanaa Rashwan  5 , Mustafa Fatih Abasiyanik  6   7 , Mary Miu Yee Waye  8
Affiliations
Review

Gut microbiota metabolites in autistic children: An epigenetic perspective

Hussein Sabit et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Gut microbiota has become an issue of great importance recently due to its major role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over the past three decades, there has been a sustained research activity focused to explain the actual mechanism by which gut microbiota triggers/develops autism. Several genetic and epigenetic factors are involved in this disorder, with epigenetics being the most active area of research. Although the constant investigation and advancements, epigenetic implications in ASD still need a deeper functional/causal analysis. In this review, we describe the major gut microbiota metabolites and how they induce epigenetic changes in ASD along with interactions through the gut-brain axis.

Keywords: ASD; Autism; Epigenetics; Gut; Metabolites; Microbiota.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The interaction between gut microbiota and brain via the gut-brain axis. The hypothalamus produces corticosteroid releasing hormones which act on the intestinal functional effector cells where gut microbiota also paly. Via the gut-brain direction, gut microbiota can stimulate changes in stress, mode, anxiety, neurotransmitter, while brain can cause certain changes such as weight gain, microbial balance, bowel movement, psychopathology, and modulation of the guts by ANS. CRH: corticosteroid releasing hormone, ACTH: Adrenocorticotropic hormone, and ANS: Autonomous nervous system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
miRNAs associated with ASD as retrieved from mirNet database.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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