AUTHOR=Cui LiHua , Du WenRan , Xu Ning , Dong JingYi , Xia BingJie , Ma JingYi , Yan RuoTong , Wang LanYing , Feng FuMin 

TITLE=Impact of MicroRNAs in Interaction With Environmental Factors on Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Pilot Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.715481

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.715481

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> This study aimed to explore the main effects of environmental risk factors as well as their interaction effects with miRNA on the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> One hundred fifty-nine ASD children (ASD group) and 159 healthy children (control group), aged 2–6 years, were included in this study. ASD diagnoses were based on DSM-5 criteria. The extensive medical and demographic characterization of the two groups were recorded. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in serum were detected by qRT-PCR.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Compared with the control group, the ASD group had significantly higher rates of maternal stress during pregnancy (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), maternal drinking during pregnancy (<italic>p</italic> = 0.006), threatened abortion (<italic>p</italic> = 0.011), pregnancy-induced hypertension (<italic>p</italic> = 0.032), gestational diabetes (<italic>p</italic> = 0.039), maternal anemia during pregnancy (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), umbilical cord knot (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), neonatal jaundice (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), family psychiatric history (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001), and much lower birth weight (<italic>p</italic> = 0.012). Furthermore, the ASD group had much lower expression levels of hsa-miR-181b-5p (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and hsa-miR-320a (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and significantly higher levels of hsa-miR-19b-3p (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). The interactions of hsa-miR-320a and maternal stress during pregnancy (OR = 39.42, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), hsa-miR-19b-3p and neonatal jaundice (OR = 2.44, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), and hsa-miR-181b-5p and family psychiatric history (OR = 8.65, <italic>p</italic> = 0.001) could increase ASD risk.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> The dysregulation of hsa-miR-181b-5p, hsa-miR-320a, and hsa-miR-19b-3p could interact with environmental factors, such as maternal stress during pregnancy, neonatal jaundice, and family psychiatric history, to impact the risk of ASD.</p>