Autism and IL-17 & IL-18
Ceren Yaren Sakım1, Meral Fidan1, Alper Demirezen1, Ayşe Şiva Acar1, Oytun Erbaş1,2
1ERBAS Institute of Experimental Medicine, Illinois, USA & Gebze, Turkey
2Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty of Demiroğlu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, cytokine, IL-17, IL-18, immune system, inflammation
Abstract
Clinical trials have identified autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a complex neurodegenerative disease. Individuals with ASD have problems with with social activities and abilities, mutual communication, stereotyped behaviors, and have a propensity to and have activities and interests. The immune system and neural development are linked from fetal development to maturity, and dysfunctions in this communication impair many immune system functions. One of the most widely held beliefs about ASD is that it is a condition caused by immune system dysfunction. When a pregnant woman is exposed to an infection, an inflammatory immune response is activated, and molecules such as maternal cytokines and chemokines that can cross the placenta are produced. It has been reported that the pro-inflammatory cytokine molecules IL-17 and IL-18, which pass from the placenta to the fetus, control the ASD pathway, induce neurotoxicity as a result of inflammation, and have an impact on ASD, which is a neurodegenerative disorder.
Cite this article as: Sakım CY, Fidan M, Demirezen A, Şiva Acar A, Erbaş O. Autism and IL-17 & IL-18. JEB Med Sci 2021;2(2):218-228.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.