Alterations of the Intestinal Permeability Are Reflected by Changes in the Urine Metabolome of Young Autistic Children: Preliminary Results

Overview

Journal Metabolites

Publisher MDPI

Date 2022 Feb 25

PMID 35208179

Authors

Cristina Piras

Michele Mussap

Antonio Noto

Andrea De Giacomo

Fernanda Cristofori

Martina Spada

Vassilios Fanos

Luigi Atzori

Ruggiero Francavilla

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Several metabolomics-based studies have provided evidence that autistic subjects might share metabolic abnormalities with gut microbiota dysbiosis and alterations in gut mucosal permeability. Our aims were to explore the most relevant metabolic perturbations in a group of autistic children, compared with their healthy siblings, and to investigate whether the increased intestinal permeability may be mirrored by specific metabolic perturbations. We enrolled 13 autistic children and 14 unaffected siblings aged 2-12 years; the evaluation of the intestinal permeability was estimated by the lactulose:mannitol test. The urine metabolome was investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. The lactulose:mannitol test unveiled two autistic children with altered intestinal permeability. Nine metabolites significantly discriminated the urine metabolome of autistic children from that of their unaffected siblings; however, in the autistic children with increased permeability, four additional metabolites-namely, fucose, phenylacetylglycine, nicotinurate, and 1-methyl-nicotinamide, strongly discriminated their urine metabolome from that of the remaining autistic children. Our preliminary data suggest the presence of a specific urine metabolic profile associated with the increase in intestinal permeability.

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