Gut microbiota metabolites in autistic children: An epigenetic perspective

Hussein Sabit; Huseyin Tombuloglu; Suriya Rehman; Noor B Almandil; Emre Cevik; Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany; Sanaa Rashwan; Mustafa Fatih Abasiyanik; Mary Miu Yee Waye

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06105

Gut microbiota metabolites in autistic children: An epigenetic perspective

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

Authors

Hussein Sabit¹, Huseyin Tombuloglu¹, Suriya Rehman², Noor B Almandil³, Emre Cevik¹, Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany⁴, Sanaa Rashwan⁵, Mustafa Fatih Abasiyanik^{6

7}, Mary Miu Yee Waye⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Genetics, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441 Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Epidemic Diseases, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441 Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Clinical Pharmacy Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultation (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441 Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P. O. Box 77, Giza, Egypt.
⁵ Pediatrics Department, Madinat Zayed Hospital, SEHA, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
⁶ Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
⁷ Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
⁸ The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Croucher Laboratory for Human Genomics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong.

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.

Publication types

Review