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Maternal antibodies may contribute to autism
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Along with genetic, metabolic and environmental factors, a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore suggest that autism may also be caused or triggered by maternal antibodies that cross over through the placenta and are directed against the brain tissues of the fetus, adversely affecting brain development.
纽约(路透社健康版)报道—在美国巴尔的摩的Johns Hopkins大学中一组研究人员指出,与基因、代谢和环境共同作用,母亲的抗体通过胎盘或者直接进入胎儿的大脑、影响其大脑发育而引发自闭症。
Dr. Harvey S. Singer and colleagues note that children with autism have antibodies in the blood that react against brain tissue. Antibodies are an important part of the immune system in which proteins are produced and mount a defense in response to the presence of a foreign body, such as an invading virus.
Harvey S. Singer博士和同事们注意到,在自闭症的儿童血液中有对抗大脑组织的抗体。抗体是免疫系统的重要部分,是抵御和应答如病毒等外源体入侵机体的一类蛋白质。
Most studies into the origin of autism have focused on autoantibodies as a possible explanation. Autoantibodies are antibodies the body makes that react against the body's own tissues by mistake; this mechanism is involved in allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases.
研究自闭症的大多数学者聚焦在自体抗体上以寻求可能的解释。自体抗体是一种身体产生出来用以对抗自身组织错误的抗体,这个机制与过敏反应和自体免疫有关。
However, another possible explanation involves the transfer of reactive antibodies from the mother through the placenta to the fetus.
然而,另一个可能的解释包括反应产生的抗体从母体通过胎盘传递到胎儿。
To investigate the latter, the team measured the antibody-brain reaction in blood samples from 100 mothers with and 100 mothers without a child diagnosed with autism.
在以后的研究中,这个研究组从100个有自闭症孩子的母亲和100个没有自闭症孩子的母亲中检测血样中的脑抗体反应来诊断自闭症。
Mothers of children with autism had a stronger reactivity or more areas of reactivity between antibodies and brain proteins compared with mothers without an autistic child. The presence of maternal antibodies also correlated with having a child with developmental regression, a primary feature of autism.
与没有自闭症孩子的母亲相比较,有自闭症孩子的母亲的抗体和脑蛋白有一个很强或是区域更大的反应。
\"Our research suggests that the mother's immune system may be yet another factor or trigger in those already predisposed\" to autism, Singer commented in a university release.
对于自闭症,“我们的研究指出,母亲的免疫系统还有另一个因子或者那些预先安排的机制”,Singer 在一个校内刊物上发表评论。
\"The mere fact that a pregnant woman has antibodies against the fetal brain doesn't mean she will have an autistic child,\" Singer cautioned. \"Autism is a complex condition and one that is likely caused by the interplay of immune, genetic and environmental factors.\"
“单纯的说怀孕妇女有对抗胎儿大脑的抗体,她就有一个自闭症的孩子没有意义,”Singer警告说,“自闭症是一个复杂的情形并且很可能是免疫、基因和环境相互影响的结果。”
The researchers are now studying the effect of maternal antibodies in pregnant mice. Preliminary results show that the offspring of mice injected with neural antibodies exhibit developmental and social behaviors suggestive of autism.
研究者目前正在研究怀孕小鼠母体中抗体的作用。初步结果表明,用注射了神经系统抗体的小鼠的子代可显示发展情况,自闭症的社会形为学者们建议。 |
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