February 03, 2020
Potential Anti-inflammatory Treatment for Autism
A team of researchers led by Dr. Theoharis Theoharides has shown that IL-37 is increased along with the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 and its receptor IL-18R, in the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of children with ASD. Moreover, IL-37 inhibits neurotensin-stimulated secretion and gene expression of IL-1β and CXCL8 from cultured human microglia. 24 These results suggest that the gene for IL-37 is activated in an effort to contain the inflammation in the amygdala, but the protein is either not produced or not made in sufficient amount to reduce the inflammation sufficiently.
