Serum binding folate receptor autoantibodies lower in autistic boys and positively-correlated with folate

• Published in: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy Vol. 172; p. 116191
• Main Authors: Shi, Ai, Liu, Di, Wu, Huiwen, Zhu, Rui, Deng, Ying, Yao, Lulu, Xiao, Yaqian, Lorimer, George H., Ghiladi, Reza A., Xu, Xinjie, Zhang, Rong, Xu, Haiqing, Wang, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.03.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Autism; Ferritin; Folate; Folate receptor autoantibody; VB12; Autism; Folate receptor autoantibody; VB12; Folate; Ferritin; VB
• ISSN: 0753-3322; 1950-6007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116191

Folate receptor autoantibody (FRAA) has caught increasing attention since its discovery in biological fluids of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but quantification and understanding of its function are still in their infancy. In this study, we aimed to quantify serum binding-FRAA and explore its relation with serum folate, vitamin B12 (VB12) and ferritin. We quantitated serum binding-FRAA in 132 ASD children and 132 typically-developing (TD) children, as well as serum levels of folate, VB12 and ferritin. The results showed that serum binding-FRAA in the ASD group was significantly lower than that in the TD group (p < 0.0001). Further analysis showed that the difference between these two groups was attributed to boys in each group, not girls. There was no statistically significant difference in folate levels between the ASD and TD groups (p > 0.05). However, there was significant difference in boys between these two groups, not girls. Additionally, the combination of nitrite and binding-FRAA showed potential diagnostic value in patients with ASD (AUC > 0.7). Moreover, in the ASD group, the level of folate was consistent with that of binding-FRAA, whereas in the TD group, the binding-FRAA level was high when the folate level was low. Altogether, these differences revealed that the low serum FRAA in autistic children was mediated by multiple factors, which deserves more comprehensive investigation with larger population and mechanistic studies. [Display omitted] •Serum binding-FRAA in autistic boys was significantly lower than in TD boys.•Binding-FRAA and folate were positively correlated in ASD boys, not in TD boys.•ROC analysis of binding-FRAA and nitrite showed diagnostic accuracy for ASD boys.•Combination of serum binding-FRAA and nitrite holds diagnostic value for ASD boys.