Potential Treatment of Autism with Traditional Chinese Medicine
David Y.W. Lee, PhD;* Xuejun Kong, MD
Autism is a complex neurological disorder of largely unknown cause. According to recent epidemiologic studies, autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one of 88 children in the United States and cost more than $90 billion a year nationwide. There is no known medical cure. Four major drug categories are regularly used for symptomatic treatment; but because of large individual differences among patients, efficacy is quite limited. A recent study showed that autism may be accompanied by abnormalities in the inflammatory response system, specifically increases in the cytokines IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-? measured in whole blood. Clinical studies have also demonstrated that increased cytokines correlates well with GI symptoms. For instance, IL-1?, mainly produced by blood monocytes, is elevated in nearly 100% of autistic children. We have studied extensively the traditional Chinese medicine Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan (HLXL) for the treatment of osteoarthritis, an inflammatory and autoimmune disease. In an animal model, we demonstrated that suppression of arthritis was associated with significant alterations in the T-cell proliferative and cytokine responses. There was a reduction in the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IL-1? and enhancement of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. We believe that HLXL may represent an alternative and complementary therapy for the treatment of autism.
Key Words: Autism, herbal remedy, inflammation, immune-dysfunction, Autism, herbal remedy, inflammation, immune-dysfunction, osteoarthritis, HLXL, traditional Chinese medicine
David Y.W. Lee, PhD;*1,2 Xuejun Kong, MD3
1 Bio-Organic and Natural Products Laboratory, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA
2 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA
3 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
*Corresponding Author: Bio-Organic and Natural Products Laboratory, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478. (Email: dlee@mclean.harvard.edu)
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.