In general, autism is an impaired perception of external stimuli associated with hyperactivity of the brain, due to which a person does not have time to connect and analyze everything that he sees, hears and feels. Such perception causes the child to react sharply to some phenomena of the external world and hardly notice others, leads to difficulties in communicating with people, forms stable everyday habits, makes it difficult to adapt to new conditions, and prevents him from learning on an equal basis with peers (including through imitation of others).
Due to the peculiarities of perception, the human voice for people with autism is no different from other sounds; they react completely differently to any touch, even when it comes to clothing. And the more different stimuli, the stronger the irritation: for example, due to the simultaneous strong desire to go to the toilet, loud sounds and unpleasant touches, a child may develop panic. And repeated movements calm him down and help him feel safe.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by problems in social communication and interaction, as well as the presence of repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. ASD includes conditions such as classic autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other pervasive developmental disorders.
Symptoms of ASD
Problems in social communication: Difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships.
Difficulties in understanding and using non-verbal communication means (gestures, facial expressions).
Lack of social-emotional reciprocity (e.g., does not share emotions, does not respond to the emotions of others).
Repetitive behavior and narrow interests: Stereotypical or repetitive movements (flapping arms, rocking).
Rigidity in routine and rituals.
Narrow and intense interests (for example, a passion for only one topic or subject).
Unusual reactions to sensory stimuli (increased or decreased sensitivity to sounds, light, textures).
What are exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells
Exosomes are extracellular vesicles ranging in size from 30 to 150 nm that are secreted by various types of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). They contain proteins, lipids, mRNA, microRNA and other molecules that can influence the function of target cells.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells capable of differentiating into various cell types, such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. MSCs have immunomodulatory and regenerative properties, which makes them promising for cell therapy.
Advantages of exosomes from MSCs:
Safety:
Exosomes are not capable of proliferation, which reduces the risk of tumor formation compared to using MSCs themselves.
They do not cause an immune response because they do not contain nuclear material.
Therapeutic potential:
MSC exosomes contain bioactive molecules that can stimulate tissue regeneration, reduce inflammation and promote wound healing.
They can transmit molecules that promote tissue repair and protection.
Transport and stability:
Exosomes are stable in biological fluids and can easily penetrate tissues, making them convenient for the delivery of therapeutic agents.
They can be easily collected, cleaned and stored, facilitating their use in clinical practice.
Exosome research
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by three core symptoms, which include social interaction deficits, cognitive dysfunction, and communication impairments. Over the past few years, their numbers have been steadily increasing without effective treatment. Using BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR) mice, which are a well-established model for assessing autism-like behavior because they include a behavioral phenotype consistent with human ASD (restricted social approach, low reciprocal social interactions, and impaired childhood play), Peters and colleagues demonstrated that intranasal administration of MSC-Exos could significantly improve autism-like behaviors associated with ASD.
The team previously showed that transplanting human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the lateral ventricles of BTBR mice resulted in long-term improvements in their autistic behavior phenotypes. Recent studies point to exosomes as major mediators of the therapeutic effect of MSCs. In this study, Tel Aviv scientists tested whether treatment with MSC-secreted exosomes (MSC-exo) would demonstrate similar beneficial effects. Notably, BTBR mice treated with MSC-Exo showed improved male-male social interaction and decreased repetitive behavior during social interaction.
More complex and prolonged ultrasonic vocalizations from males to females were seen in BTBR animals treated with MSC-Exo, making them more similar to healthy control mice. Additionally, MSC-Exos significantly improved the pup-finding behavior of female BTBR mice. BTBR females given normal saline returned only two of 24 pups to the nest, while BTBR females given MSC-Exos returned all (18/18) of the pups, showing significant improvement in maternal behavior. No negative symptoms were detected after intranasal administration of MSC-exo in BTBR or healthy mice. The significant beneficial effects of exosomes in BTBR mice may lead to the development of a new, non-invasive therapeutic strategy to reduce ASD symptoms.
