Alterations in plasma dipeptidyl peptidase IV in autism: A pilot study

Immune factors such as autoimmunity have been implicated in the genesis of autism.This study aimed to investigate the role of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) IV serum levels, which were measured by ELISA method, in 62 (mean age 7.02 ± 2.03 years) autistic children in comparison to 16 (mean age 7.25 ± 2.14 years) healthy-matched children. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used for the assessment of autistic severity.The DPP IV level was significantly lower (p = 0.05) in autistic subjects than normal controls, although there were no significant relationships between the plasma DPP IV level and the CARS score, age or gender.Therefore, we concluded that alterations in the plasma level of DPP IV play a role in the pathophysiology of autism. However, this is an initial report that warrants further research to determine the pathogenic role of DPP IV and its possible link to neuroinflammation in autism.