Measurement the Level of Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase Enzyme in Autistic Iraqi Children

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by persistent impairment of social communication and reciprocity across multiple contexts as well as restricted, repetitive, and stereotypic patterns of behavior, interests, and or activities. It is suggested that autism may result from an interaction between genetic, environmental, and immunological factors, with oxidative stress as a mechanism linking these risk factors. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), also known as dopamine beta-monooxygenase, is an enzyme that is encoded by the DBH gene that converts dopamine to norepinephrine when this enzyme is inhibited by Clostridia bacteria, toxic dopamine metabolites are produced which lead to brain toxicity that may be a target in autism treatment. This study was designed to evaluate the level of dopamine beta-hydroxylase enzyme and its effect on autism in Iraqi children.
Method: Eighty children, their age range 3-10 years were involved in this study; a Performa was framed, and all the relevant information of each child was recorded. Children were classified into two groups (40 children each) as healthy children and children who were diagnosed as autism disease served as the autism patients’ group.
Results: This study showed that there was a significant decrease in the level of serum dopamine beta- hydroxylase enzyme (P<0.05) in autism children their age range (3-10 years) compared to the corresponding level of serum dopamine beta-hydroxylase in control children at the same aged range. Moreover, there was no significant statistical association between DBH levels and age. According to the results obtained in this study, it could be concluded that alterations in level of serum dopamine beta- hydroxylase in autism patients were observed; this indicates that there is the imbalance between dopamine and Norepinephrine because of the inhibition of dopamine beta-hydroxylase enzyme that may be induced by the presence of a toxic metabolite of clostridia bacteria.