OBJECTIVE: It has been claimed for a number of years that the urine of children with autism contains exogenously derived opioid peptides. This finding is said to reflect a disturbance in the integrity of the gut epithelium, act as a diagnostic marker for autism and predict treatment response to a diet excluding gluten and casein. The aim of the present study was to determine whether exogenous or endogenous peptides were present in the urine of children with autism or of control children. DESIGN: Case-control study SETTING: Cases were recruited from two tertiary referral centres specialising in autistic spectrum disorders, while controls were recruited from mainstream primary and secondary schools in the same geographical area. PARTICIPANTS: 65 boys with autism, mean age 7.4 years (range 5-11) and 158 control boys, mean age 7.8 years (range 4.2-11). INVESTIGATIONS: Urine samples were examined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorbtion ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the presence of a number of putative opioid peptides. OUTCOMES: There were no significant differences between the HPLC urinary profiles of the children affected by autism and the typically developing controls. In those cases where HPLC showed peaks in the locations at which opioid peptides might be expected to be found, MALDI-TOF established that these peaks did not, in fact, represent opioid peptides. CONCLUSIONS: Given the lack of evidence for any opioid peptiduria in children with autism, opioid peptides can neither serve as a biomedical marker for autism nor be employed to predict or monitor response to a casein- and gluten-free diet.
OBJECTIVE: It has been claimed for a number of years that the urine of children with autism contains exogenously derived opioid peptides. This finding is said to reflect a disturbance in the integrity of the gut epithelium, act as a diagnostic marker for autism and predict treatment response to a diet excluding gluten and casein. The aim of the present study was to determine whether exogenous or endogenous peptides were present in the urine of children with autism or of control children. DESIGN: Case-control study SETTING: Cases were recruited from two tertiary referral centres specialising in autistic spectrum disorders, while controls were recruited from mainstream primary and secondary schools in the same geographical area. PARTICIPANTS: 65 boys with autism, mean age 7.4 years (range 5-11) and 158 control boys, mean age 7.8 years (range 4.2-11). INVESTIGATIONS: Urine samples were examined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorbtion ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the presence of a number of putative opioid peptides. OUTCOMES: There were no significant differences between the HPLC urinary profiles of the children affected by autism and the typically developing controls. In those cases where HPLC showed peaks in the locations at which opioid peptides might be expected to be found, MALDI-TOF established that these peaks did not, in fact, represent opioid peptides. CONCLUSIONS: Given the lack of evidence for any opioid peptiduria in children with autism, opioid peptides can neither serve as a biomedical marker for autism nor be employed to predict or monitor response to a casein- and gluten-free diet.
Authors: Cara R Damiano; Joseph Aloi; Caley Burrus; James C Garbutt; Alexei B Kampov-Polevoy; Gabriel S Dichter Journal: Res Autism Spectr Disord Date: 2014-03
Authors: Pablo José González-Domenech; Francisco Díaz Atienza; Carlos García Pablos; María Luisa Fernández Soto; José María Martínez-Ortega; Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2020-03
Authors: Elizabeth Winburn; Jenna Charlton; Helen McConachie; Elaine McColl; Jeremy Parr; Anne O'Hare; Gillian Baird; Paul Gringras; David C Wilson; Ashley Adamson; Sandra Adams; Ann Le Couteur Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2014-04
Authors: Alisa G Woods; Armand G Ngounou Wetie; Izabela Sokolowska; Stefanie Russell; Jeanne P Ryan; Tanja Maria Michel; Johannes Thome; Costel C Darie Journal: J Mol Psychiatry Date: 2013-05-21
Authors: Paul Whiteley; Paul Shattock; Ann-Mari Knivsberg; Anders Seim; Karl L Reichelt; Lynda Todd; Kevin Carr; Malcolm Hooper Journal: Front Hum Neurosci Date: 2013-01-04 Impact factor: 3.169
Authors: Alessandra Mezzelani; Martina Landini; Francesco Facchiano; Maria Elisabetta Raggi; Laura Villa; Massimo Molteni; Barbara De Santis; Carlo Brera; Anna Maria Caroli; Luciano Milanesi; Anna Marabotti Journal: Nutr Neurosci Date: 2014-01-21 Impact factor: 4.994