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Showing posts with label Glutathione. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glutathione. Show all posts

Wednesday 14 December 2016

Refining Antioxidant (ROS & RNS) Therapy in Autism -  Selenium and Molybdenum




Today’s post is about further refining antioxidant therapy.

As we saw in a recent post, oxidative and nitrosative stress is a very common feature of autism and is treatable with OTC products.

The cheapest antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), looks to be the best one, but there are numerous others with exotic names and equally exotic prices.

Today we just look at selenium and molybdenum.  Selenium was on my to-do list for a long time because it affects some key enzymes call GPX (glutathione peroxodases).
Molybdenum was enthusiastically recommended in a recent comment and this blog has previously touched on Molybdenum Cofactor Sulfurase (MOCOS).

Rather surprisingly, there is a commercial product that contains NAC, Selenium and Molybdenum. 


Selenium and GPX (glutathione peroxodases)

There are eight different glutathione peroxodases, but GPx1, GPx2, GPx3, and GPx4 are all made from selenium.

GPX speeds up the antioxidant reactions that involve glutathione (GSH).

In autism we know that both GSH and GPX are lacking.

We know how to make more GSH, just take some NAC.  But what about the catalyst GPX? 
There may be an equally easy way to increase that. 


Selenium and Thyroid  Enzymes

Selenium is also part of the three deiodinase enzymes D1, D2 and D3.

The active thyroid hormone is called T3, but most of what is circulating in your body is the inactive pro-hormone form called T4.

Deiodinase 1 (D1)  both activates T4 to produce T3 and inactivates T4. Besides its increased function in producing extrathyroid T3, its function is less well understood than D2 or D3.

Deiodinase 2 (D2), located in the ER membrane, converts T4 into T3 and is a major source of the cytoplasmic T3 pool.  It looks like some people with autism may lack D2 in their brain.

Deiodinase 3 (D3) prevents T4 activation and inactivates T3. It looks like some people with autism have too much D3 in their brain.

D2 and D3 are important in homeostatic regulation in maintaining T3 levels at the plasma and cellular levels.


·        In hyperthyroidism D2 is down regulated and D3 is upregulated to clear extra T3

·        in hypothyroidism D2 is upregulated and D3 is downregulated to increase cytoplasmic T3 levels


Serum T3 levels remain fairly constant in healthy individuals, but D2 and D3 can regulate tissue specific intracellular levels of T3 to maintain homeostasis since T3 and T4 levels may vary by organ.  

It appears that some people with autism may have central hyperthyroidism, meaning in their brain.

Regular readers may recall this post:-


The major source of the biologically active hormone T3 in the brain is the local intra-brain conversion of T4 to T3, while a small fraction comes from circulating T3. 

As evidence derived from in vitro studies suggests, in response to oxidative stress D3 increases while D2 decreases (Lamirand et al., 2008; Freitas et al., 2010).  As we know in the autistic brain we have a lot of oxidative stress.



Furthermore, in ASD, the lower intra-brain T3 levels occur in the

Absence of a systemic T3 deficiency (Davis et al., 2008), most likely due to the increased activity of D3.



So in some autistic brains we have too much D3 which is inactivating T3 and preventing T4 being converted to T3.

Reduced D2 is reducing the conversion of T4 to T3. 

We would therefore want to increase D2 in some autism.

This can be achieved by:-

·        Reducing oxidative stress, which we are already sold on. 

·        We can also potentially upregulate the gene that produces D2 using some food-based genetic therapy. Kaempferol (KPF) appears to work and may explain why broccoli sprout powder makes some people go hyper and some others cannot sleep  



The cAMP-responsive gene for type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2), an intracellular enzyme that activates thyroid hormone (T3) for the nucleus, is approximately threefold upregulated by KPF



·        Perhaps low levels of selenium differentially affect the synthesis of D1, D2 and D3?

  

Where does selenium come from? 

We know from Chauham/James that selenium levels are reduced in autism, but we also know that selenium levels vary widely by geography.  

You get selenium from your diet and the level of selenium in the soil varies widely.  It is widely held that most healthy people should have plenty selenium in their diet. 

In the following paper there is an analysis of Selenium status in Europe and the Middle East.
Since we have plenty of Polish readers I have included the chart with the Polish data (on the left).  It shows that Polish people may be a little deficient in selenium.
You can see the level of selenium in Poland is below that needed to optimise plasma GPx activity.
So if you already have reduced GPx activity, because of autism, and you really need to make the most of your limited glutathione (GSH) because you have oxidative/nitrosative stress, then a little extra selenium could be just what the doctor should have ordered.

  

Se is an essential non-metal trace element [3] that is required for selenocysteine synthesis and is essential for the production of selenoproteins [4]. Selenoproteins are primarily either structural or enzymatic [2], acting as catalysts for the activation of thyroid hormone and as antioxidants, such as glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) [5]. GPx activity is commonly used as a marker for Se sufficiency in the body [6], where serum or plasma Se concentrations are believed to achieve maximum GPx expression at 90–100 μg/L (90.01 μg/L as proposed by Duffield and colleagues [7] and 98.7 μg/L according to Alfthan et al. [8]). However, plasma selenoprotein P (SEPP1) concentration is a more suitable marker than plasma GPx activity [9]. Prospective studies provide some evidence that adequate Se status may reduce the risk of some cancers, while elevated risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers occurs when the Se concentration exceeds 120 μg/L [10]. Higher Se status has been linked to enhanced immune competence with better outcomes for cancer, viral infections, including HIV progression to AIDS, male infertility, pregnancy, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders [2] and, possibly, bone health [11–14].





  




Selenium and NAC for Rats with TBI

Perhaps not surprisingly, selenium and NAC have been found beneficial for Rats unfortunate enough to have sufferred a traumatic brain injury (TBI).




It has been suggested that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI). N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and selenium (Se) display neuroprotective activities mediated at least in part by their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties although there is no report on oxidative stress, antioxidant vitamin, interleukin-1 beta (IL)-1β and IL-4 levels in brain and blood of TBI-induced rats. We investigated effects of NAC and Se administration on physical injury-induced brain toxicity in rats. Thirty-six male Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups. First and second groups were used as control and TBI groups, respectively. NAC and Se were administrated to rats constituting third and forth groups at 1, 24, 48 and 72 h after TBI induction, respectively. At the end of 72 h, plasma, erythrocytes and brain cortex samples were taken. TBI resulted in significant increase in brain cortex, erythrocytes and plasma lipid peroxidation, total oxidant status (TOS) in brain cortex, and plasma IL-1β values although brain cortex vitamin A, β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant status (TAS) values, and plasma vitamin E concentrations, plasma IL-4 level and brain cortex and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities decreased by TBI. The lipid peroxidation and IL-1β values were decreased by NAC and Se treatments. Plasma IL-4, brain cortex GSH, TAS, vitamin C and vitamin E values were increased by NAC and Se treatments although the brain cortex vitamin A and erythrocyte GSH-Px values were increased through NAC only. In conclusion, NAC and Se caused protective effects on the TBI-induced oxidative brain injury and interleukin production by inhibiting free radical production, regulation of cytokine-dependent processes and supporting antioxidant redox system.

  


  

And now to Molybdenum 

Molybdenum (Mo) is a trace dietary element necessary for human survival.

Low soil concentration of molybdenum in a geographical band from northern China to Iran results in a general dietary molybdenum deficiency, and is associated with increased rates of esophageal cancer.  Compared to the United States, which has a greater supply of molybdenum in the soil, people living in those areas have about 16 times greater risk for esophageal cancer.
So you would not want to have molybdenum deficiency.

Four Molybdenum-dependent enzymes are known, all of them include molybdenum cofactor (Moco) in their active site: sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidoreductase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reductase.

Moco cannot be taken up as a nutrient, and thus it requires to made in your body from molybdenum.

If your body cannot make enough Moco you may develop what is called molybdenum cofactor deficiency, which would ultimately kill you. It is ultra rare.

Symptoms include early seizures, low blood levels of uric acid, and high levels of sulphite, xanthine, and uric acid in urine.


When caused by a mutation in the MOCS1 gene it is called the type A variant.

Molybdenum cofactor deficiency may indeed be extremely rare, but MOCS1 is a known autism gene.  Perhaps there exists partial molybdenum cofactor deficiency, which is not rare at all?





Source:-  Identification of candidate intergenic risk loci in autism spectrum disorder



MOCOS (Molybdenum cofactor sulfurase)


Molybdenum cofactor sulfurase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MOCOS gene.

MOCOS sulfurates the molybdenum cofactor of xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and aldehyde oxidase (AOX1), which is required for their enzymatic activities.

MOCOS is downregulated in autism and is suggested to induce increased oxidative-stress sensitivity, which would not be good.

So it looks like we need a clever way to upregulate MOCOS.

You need adequate molybdenum cofactor (Moco), for which you do need adequate molybdenum.

You need the genes MOCS1 and MOCOS to be correctly expressed.

SIRT1 activation, which is a future therapy for Alzheimer’s, is suggested to increase MOCOS, as may NRF2.

Sirtuin-activating compounds (STAC) are chemical compounds having an effect on sirtuins, a group of enzymes that use NAD+ to remove acetyl groups from proteins. They are molecules able to prevent aging related diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and obesity.  There is quite a long list that includes ranges from polyphenols such as resveratrol, the flavonols fisetin, and quercetin also butein, piceatannol, isoliquiritigenin,


Fisetin is found in strawberries, cucumbers and supplements.  In normal animals, fisetin can improve memory; it also can have an effect on animals prone to Alzheimer's.




Here is the excellent French paper on MOCOS:-



With an onset under the age of 3 years, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are now understood as diseases arising from pre- and/or early postnatal brain developmental anomalies and/or early brain insults. To unveil the molecular mechanisms taking place during the misshaping of the developing brain, we chose to study cells that are representative of the very early stages of ontogenesis, namely stem cells. Here we report on MOlybdenum COfactor Sulfurase (MOCOS), an enzyme involved in purine metabolism, as a newly identified player in ASD. We found in adult nasal olfactory stem cells of 11 adults with ASD that MOCOS is downregulated in most of them when compared with 11 age- and gender-matched control adults without any neuropsychiatric disorders. Genetic approaches using in vivo and in vitro engineered models converge to indicate that altered expression of MOCOS results in neurotransmission and synaptic defects. Furthermore, we found that MOCOS misexpression induces increased oxidative-stress sensitivity. Our results demonstrate that altered MOCOS expression is likely to have an impact on neurodevelopment and neurotransmission, and may explain comorbid conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders. We anticipate our discovery to be a fresh starting point for the study on the roles of MOCOS in brain development and its functional implications in ASD clinical symptoms. Moreover, our study suggests the possible development of new diagnostic tests based on MOCOS expression, and paves the way for drug screening targeting MOCOS and/or the purine metabolism to ultimately develop novel treatments in ASD.  

Lately, a diminished seric expression of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, methionine and cysteine has been highlighted in a meta-analysis from 29 studies on ASD subjects.45 Along this line, purines and purine-associated enzymes are recognized markers of oxidative stress. ROS are generated during the production of uric acid, catalyzed by xanthine oxidase and XDH.46 Conversely, uric acid is nowadays recognized as a protective factor acting as a ROS scavenger.47, 48 Interestingly, allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, was found efficient in reducing symptoms, especially epileptic seizures, in ASD patients displaying high levels of uric acid.49 However, in our cohort, only 3 out of 10 patients exhibited an abnormal uric acid secretion. It can therefore be postulated that still unknown other MOCOS-associated mechanisms may have a role in the unbalanced stress response observed in ASD OSCs.
Identifying and manipulating downstream effectors of MOCOS will be the next critical step to better understand its mechanisms of action. In parallel, we plan to ascertain some of its upstream regulators. For example, bioinformatic analyses revealed that the promoter region of MOCOS includes conserved binding sites for transcription factors such as GATA3 and NRF2. In addition, other putative interactors, such as the NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), may have a regulatory role on MOCOS expression. Interestingly, these three genes have been associated with ASD, fragile X syndrome, epilepsy and/or oxidative stress.54, 55, 56, 57 In conclusion, our study opens an unexplored new avenue for the study of MOCOS in ASD, and could set bases for the development of new diagnostic tools as well as the search of new therapeutics.

Conclusion

It looks like a little extra selenium may be in order to increase those GPx enzymes that are need to speed up aspects of the antioxidant activity of GSH.

When it comes to molybdenum, things get much more complex. You certainly do not want to be deficient in molybdenum and you do not want Molybdenum cofactor deficiency; you also do not want molybdenum cofactor Sulfurase (MOCOS) mis-expression.

It is fair to say that quite likely there is a problem related to molybdenum that affects oxidative stress in autism; but it is not yet clear what to do about it.  I rather doubt the solution is as simple as just a little extra molybdenum, but it is easy to try.

On the plus side, we see that if you have autism, epilepsy and high uric acid you are likely to benefit from allopurinol, which also seems to help in COPD.

There is nothing new about allopurinol possibly be effective in some autism, as from this 25 year old book, Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism.



Again we see that activating NRF2 looks a good idea, that applies to both autism and COPD.
One thing to note is that NRF2 activators are good for cancer prevention, but if you have a cancer you want NRF2 inhibitors.

NRF2 activators include sulforaphane (SFN), R-alphalipoic acid (ALA), resveratrol and curcumin.  SFN is by far the most potent.  Resveratrol and curcumin have a problem with bioavailability.











Saturday 2 May 2015

Sustained Release NAC for Autism and Schizophrenia








“Pharmacokinetics” of a typical drug


Today’s post is about what should be the optimal anti-oxidant therapy for autism, schizophrenia, COPD and any other disease in which oxidative stress is present.  You will have to be able to swallow pills, to fully benefit.

NAC seems to be the most potent, safe, anti-oxidant, the only drawbacks are:-

·        Short half-life

·        Can taste/smell bad


In autism, NAC is normally given three times a day, but often it is not practical to give a drug at precise intervals throughout the day.

This is a common problem with many drugs and has been solved long ago – with the sustained release pill.

If you find that four hours after giving NAC there is an increase in irritability, anxiety or stimming, it may be that oxidative stress has already returned.  It may be that other factors have triggered a higher load of oxidative stress.  The way to be sure is just to give a small extra dose of NAC and wait 15 minutes.  If everything returns to normal, you found the problem.

Since you cannot always be present with an extra half dose of NAC, the answer is the sustained release form of NAC.

Since we have seen that oxidative stress triggers all kinds of secondary dysfunctions, the sustained release form of NAC might also help minimize them, since you could have 24 hour protection.  Oxidative stress does not go away while you sleep.

For example, I recall the Polish researcher at Harvard who suggested that oxidative stress might cause central hypothyroidism in autism (low levels of T3 in the brain).

Your body produces the pro-hormone T4 in the thyroid which then circulates throughout the body.  Special enzymes, produced locally, then convert the T4 into the active hormone called T3.  The researcher found that in the autistic brain this enzyme was reduced by oxidative stress.

Many “alternative” doctors, mainly in the US, do prescribe extra T3 hormone to people with autism and indeed other conditions.  Some older ladies across the world are buying T3 hormone, online from Mexico, since their doctor will not prescribe it.  They say it makes them feel better.

As your endocrinologist will tell you, hormones are controlled by so-called feedback loops.  So if you start adding extra T3 hormone, your thyroid will start producing less T4.  Then you need even more supplemental T3.

I did do a little experiment with a small dose of T3, to see if a short term increase in T3 affects “my” kind of autism.  It most definitely does; as does a short term spike in potassium levels.  These are useful diagnostic tests, rather than therapies.

This would suggest that minimizing oxidative stress 24 hours a day, may not just be possible, but also highly beneficial.
 

OTC Sustained Release NAC  (NAC SR)

There actually is an inexpensive Sustained Release NAC , available OTC (without prescription).

  





The problem with currently-available granulated and effervescent tablet compositions is that they release N-acetyl cysteine very rapidly. Thus, the effervescent compositions as well as the granulate compositions currently available on the market achieve a maximum blood plasma level within 1 hr from administration. One matrix tablet formulation does show a maximum blood plasma level at 2-2.5 hrs after administration, although its recipe indicates that granulation was required. The problem with granulation of acetyl cysteine is that if any dissolves, the dissolved material starts to decompose into impurities.
In accordance with the present invention, this problem of overly-rapid release is obviated by providing the N-acetyl cysteine in the form of a tablet or other article made with the rheology modifying acrylic or methacrylic acid-based polymers, or analogues, described in commonly-assigned application Ser. No. 09/559,687, filed Apr. 27, 2000. Tablets made in this manner exhibit controlled release characteristics, thereby allowing the N-acetyl cysteine active ingredient to be released over a longer period of time.

The rheology modifying polymers used in the present invention provide controlled release of the N-acetyl cysteine and other biologically active compounds contained in the inventive tablet, if any, so that when placed in water or body fluid, the polymer swells to form a viscous gel which retards diffusion of the active material.

The advanced bilayer Sustain™ tablets combine 1/3 Quick Release and 2/3 Sustained Release formats to both immediately raise and to maintain blood levels over a longer period of time.* NAC Sustain®  releases in the small intestine over a 8 hour period, compared to the 1.5 hour biological half-life of NAC in the bloodstream.*



NAC in published research

Much currently available data is from very early studies on NAC that indicated that the half-life was about 5 hours, but subsequent studies suggested it is very much shorter, perhaps just 90 minutes.

The following study is quite old, but compares the behaviour of different NAC formulations in 10 volunteers.
































Some definitions:-



A biological half-life or elimination half-life is the time it takes for a substance (drug, radioactive nuclide, or other) to lose one-half of its pharmacologic, physiologic, or radiological activity. In a medical context, the half-life may also describe the time that it takes for the concentration in blood plasma of a substance to reach one-half of its steady-state value (the "plasma half-life").
The relationship between the biological and plasma half-lives of a substance can be complex, due to factors including accumulation in tissues, active metabolites, and receptor interactions

Mean Residence Time

For the medical field, residence time often refers to the amount of time that a drug spends in the body. This is dependent on an individual’s body size, the rate at which the Drug will move through and react within the person’s body, and the amount of the Drug administered. The Mean Residence Time (MRT) in Drug deviates from the previous equations as it is based on a statistical derivation. This still runs off a steady-state volume assumption but then uses the area under a distribution curve to find the average drug dose clearance time. The distribution is determined by numerical data derived from either urinary or plasma data collected. Each drug will have a different residence time based on its chemical composition and technique of administration. Some of these drug molecules will remain in the system for a very short time while others may remain for a lifetime. Since individual molecules are hard to trace, groups of molecules are tracked and the distribution of these is plotted to find a mean residence time.



Conclusion

This post may have been more useful for adult readers, with Asperger’s, who are self-treating.  Many people with Schizophrenia also self-treat with NAC, but they probably do not read autism blogs.

For those unable (yet) to swallow, pills you can have the option of breaking the effervescent tablets in half (or even quarters) to try and maintain a more stable level of NAC.  We sometimes do this, half a 600 mg tablet at school at 11 am,  when needed.  It only seems to be really needed in the pollen allergy season, which seems to trigger more oxidative stress as well as histamine and IL-6.  It works.

One reader of this blog is doing something similar with Bumetanide, he/she is giving it in three daily doses.  Bumetanide also has a short half-life, as does Verapamil.  There is no sustained release form of Bumetanide, but there is for Verapamil.

A final point raised is whether the benefit from NAC comes from it being a precursor to Glutathione (GSH), the body' own master antioxidant, or whether it is actually NAC's own free radical scavenging properties that really matter. It would appear to be the latter, based on the short half life of NAC and the short term beneficial effect.  This would imply that just normalizing GSH is not enough. Studies have shown that normalizing the reduced levels of GSH levels found in autism is readily achievable.








Monday 20 October 2014

Sulforaphane (Broccoli) for Cancer, Autism and COPD





One advantage this blog has is that it looks at the comorbidities of autism, so we are aware of useful findings in related areas.  So it then does not come as a big surprise when a therapy effective in related areas also helps with autism.

One of the most useful is asthma.  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a related condition, brought on by smoking or pollution.  It kills 3 million people a year; COPD is made much worse by chronic oxidative stress.  We saw in an earlier post that oxidative stress stops the asthma drugs from working.  The current treatment for oxidative stress in COPD is N-acetyl cysteine (NAC).  I recall they are still looking for a better treatment; perhaps the search is over.  (see later).

We also saw that there is already some overlap between “emerging” research findings in cancer and those in autism. These include:-

·        PAK1, mTOR (Rapamycin), Wnt signaling
·        Ivermectin treatment for Leukemia and Autism
·        Quercetin and NAC aiding recovery for specific cancers and helping some in autism

For twenty years researchers have known about the potential cancer fighting benefits of Sulforaphane, which is produced by a chemical reaction when you eat fresh broccoli that was only lightly cooked.

In the intervening years vast amounts of research has been going on to tinker with broccoli to maximize/harness the potential health benefit, and also to develop related synthetic drugs (analogs of Sulforaphane) like Sulforadex.

Twenty years later, and a vast amount of broccoli supplement pills later, not many people have benefitted.  When you look into the matter, it really is rather bizarre.

Fresh raw broccoli was found to contain large amounts of both Glucoraphanin and an enzyme called Myrosinase.  When you eat the raw broccoli the Glucoraphanin and Myrosinase react to produce a potent substance called Sulforaphane, which seems to have numerous positive effects.  A powerful anti-oxidative process is triggered that was shown to have a strong anti-cancer effect.

The problem is that myrosinase from broccoli is not stable; when you cook it, freeze it, or process it, you lose it.  So, soggy cooked broccoli, crisp frozen broccoli and almost all the broccoli pills on the market have no myrosinase and therefore no Sulforaphane will be produced.

There have been numerous studies showing this and also a few clever ideas to get around it have been investigated.

Sulforaphane is itself also unstable and has to be used immediately or kept frozen.


Johns Hopkins and Sulforaphane

Sulforaphane was discovered in 1992 at Johns Hopkins and much related research still comes from there.  They hold the key patents and indeed went as far as to try to stop other people growing/selling broccoli sprouts.  They have developed a way to produce Sulforaphane in the laboratory and then it is freeze dried and kept frozen at -20 Celsius.

Cancer research

The cancers where Sulforaphane has shown promise include:-


COPD

What caught my attention was a paper from 2008 by Peter Barnes, one of only two Englishmen on my Dean’s list and the only one that lives there.



This has been followed up and there is now a Phase 2 clinical trial of Sulforaphane for treatment of COPD.



Barnes is my kind of scientist.  He has noted that the most potent, safe antioxidant to treat COPD is NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) but he wanted more, and has been on the look-out for years for a stronger, but safe, alternative.  He concluded that

“It has been difficult to find new more effective antioxidants that are not toxic. A more attractive approach may be to restore Nrf2 levels to normal through inhibiting the action of Keap1. This has been achieved in vitro and in vivo by isothiocyanate compounds, such as Sulforaphane, which occur naturally in broccoli”


And finally to Autism

So the recent big news that Sulforaphane was remarkable successful in a small trial at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Johns Hopkins maybe should not be such a surprise.
Sulforaphane treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by both impaired communication and social interaction, and by stereotypic behavior, affects about 1 in 68, predominantly males. The medicoeconomic burdens of ASD are enormous, and no recognized treatment targets the core features of ASD. In a placebo-controlled,double-blind, randomized trial, young men (aged 13–27) with moderate to severe ASD received the phytochemical sulforaphane (n = 29)—derived from broccoli sprout extracts—or indistinguishable placebo (n = 15). The effects on behavior of daily oral doses of sulforaphane (50–150 μmol) for 18 wk, followed by 4 wk without treatment, were quantified by three widely accepted behavioral measures completed by parents/caregivers and physicians: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Clinical Global Impression Improvement Scale (CGI-I). Initial scores for ABC and SRS were closely matched for participants assigned to placebo and sulforaphane. After 18 wk, participants receiving placebo experienced minimal change (<3.3%), whereas those receiving sulforaphane showed substantial declines (improvement of behavior): 34% for ABC (P < 0.001, comparing treatments) and 17% for SRS scores (P = 0.017). On CGI-I, a significantly greater number of participants receiving sulforaphane had improvement in social interaction, abnormal behavior, and verbal communication (P = 0.015–0.007). Upon discontinuation of sulforaphane, total scores on all scales rose toward pretreatment levels. Dietary sulforaphane, of recognized low toxicity, was selected for its capacity to reverse abnormalities that have been associated with ASD, including oxidative stress and lower antioxidant capacity, depressed glutathione synthesis, reduced mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation, increased lipid peroxidation, and neuroinflammmation.

What surprised me was just how big an impact the Sulforaphane had and the fact that these are very serious researchers, unlike many others.

Since we are talking about a therapy that has a strong anti-oxidant connection I compared the trial results from the Stanford NAC trial, with those from the Sulforaphane trial at MGH.

Monty, aged 11 with ASD, responded almost immediately to NAC and so of course I am interested in any additional, even overlapping, therapy.

For anyone interested, the following table shows the results from the NAC study:-




The data shows a large drop in irritability and hyperactivity and a moderate improvement in stereotypy, compulsions and SIB.  On the Social Responsiveness Scale, the people on NAC dropped by 18 , versus a drop of 6 for the placebo group.
Now we have the results from the Sulforaphane (broccoli) study.

On the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) , the people on Sulforaphane dropped by 20, versus a drop of 2 for the placebo group.

Moving on to the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) we can compare the improvement in four sub-categories:-

NAC               Sulforaphane
Irritability                 -9.7                     -4
Lethargy                  -4.2                     -4.5
Stereotypy              -3.5                      -2.7
Hyperactivity           -11                      -4.8


Now these figures are averages.  In reality you are likely either a responder or non-responder, nobody is likely to be Mr. Average.

I found these results very encouraging, albeit less so than the NAC trial.  The Sulforaphane trial was conducted among young adults whereas NAC was trialed on children.  You might expect children to be more responsive, since their autism tends to be less controlled than it tends to be in adulthood.

Since both trials are drawn from a population with behavioral autism and not any biological specific dysfunction both groups will likely include people with :-

·        Classic early onset autism caused by multiple genetic and epigenetic (environmental) hits

·        Mitochondrial disease triggered regressive autism, with no inherent prior dysfunction

·        Single gene disorders, probably never identified

Any trial with responders > 30% is therefore very interesting.  This trial was much better than that.

Now, both classic autism and Mitochondrial disease triggered regressive autism are associated with oxidative stress.  People with classic autism do seem to respond to NAC, whereas some people with Mitochondrial disease do not.


















In the NAC trial the dose was stepped up every 4 weeks  (0.9g 1.8g 2.7g).  In the Sulforaphane trial the dose remained the same but the effect grew.

So the method of action of both drugs may be similar, but it is not identical.  NAC is a ”primary anti-oxidant”, in that NAC and its end product Glutathione (GSH) are themselves anti-oxidants.   

Sulforaphane appears to be a “secondary anti-oxidant”, it activates Nrf2 which then triggers a set of reactions that promotes an anti-oxidant response.  So it is logical that there is a time delay.

But after week 18, Sulforaphane treatment was stopped and at week 22 all benefit had been lost.


So we can conclude, even though these are two different trials with different groups of people, that if anything NAC looks more potent than Sulforaphane.

The question is whether Sulforaphane plus NAC would be even better than NAC (or Sulforaphane) alone.

  
Mode of Action

I know that NAC is a “direct” anti-oxidant and it is a precursor for glutathione (GSH); its effect is almost immediate, whereas the MGH researchers inform us that Sulforaphane became effective over a matter of weeks.  We know that Sulforaphane activates a transcription factor, Nrf2 in the cell. Once activated, Nrf2 then translocates to the nucleus of the cell, where it aligns itself with the antioxidant response element (ARE) in the promoter region of target genes. The target genes are associated with process which assists in regulating cellular defences. Such cytoprotective genes include that for glutathione (GSH).

So it is clear that both NAC and Sulforaphane will affect the level of the boy’s most important antioxidant glutathione (GSH).

That may possibly be the end of the story.

Science does tell us that Sulforaphane has many other effects that may also be beneficial in autism.  They do seem to have an effect in cancer and some do relate to reversing epigenetic “errors”.  Classic autism is also likely triggered, in part, by epigenetic “markers” on undamaged parts of the DNA.  Any method of selectively removing these markers and turning genes “off” that were “on” in error and vice versa is very interesting.

Sulforaphane’s effect in cancer appears to be more than just an antioxidant.  Research has shown that it is indeed active epigenetically (switching on and off genes).

The logical next step would be to test NAC vs Sulforaphane vs (NAC + Sulforaphane).

Since we live in an imperfect world, rather than wait half a century for a clinical trial, you might have to do a home trial.

In the next post we will see how to make Sulforaphane at home.

As is often the case, it is not as simple as buying some on Amazon.

Sulforaphane survives for 30  minutes outside the freezer and almost all broccoli supplements have been shown to have no active Myrosinase.  Without this enzyme almost no Sulforaphane will be produced, no matter how many broccoli tablets you take.

This reminds me of people buying oxytocin over the internet.  If it is not kept chilled, by the time it arrives at your place, a few days later, it will be totally inactive and so ineffective.  You will have wasted your money and perhaps falsely concluded that oxytocin is ineffective.

This is how the Sulforaphane is made by Johns Hopkins:-

Preparation of Sulforaphane-Rich Broccoli Sprout Extracts.

Sulforaphane rich broccoli sprout extract (SF-BSE) was prepared by the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at The Johns Hopkins University essentially as described in Egner et al. In brief, specially selected broccoli seeds were surface-disinfected and grown (sprouted) for 3 d in a commercial sprouting facility under controlled light and moisture conditions. A boiling water extract was prepared, filtered, cooled, and treated with the enzyme myrosinase (from daikon sprouts) to convert precursor glucosinolates to isothiocyanates, and
then lyophilized at a food processing facility (Oregon Freeze Dry, Albany, OR). The lyophilized powder (216 μmol SF/g powder) was encapsulated into #1 gelcaps by ALFA Specialty Pharmacy (Columbia, MD); each capsule contained 50 μmol SF (232 mg of SFBSE); placebo capsules were filled with microcrystalline cellulose.
The powders (bulk and capsules) were maintained at approximately
20 °C and repeatedly checked for microbial contaminants and SF
titer before conveyance to the study site pharmacy (Massachusetts
General Hospital) to be dispensed to patients.

  
Thanks to all the research done on Sulforaphane/broccoli as chemoprotective agent, all the pieces of the puzzle exist.  My first choice would always be the stable analog of Sulforaphane, but it is not yet available and will no doubt be ultra expensive.  So I will work with second best.

The nice people at Johns Hopkins did reply to my questions, so I think I have figured out what I needed to know.




                                           How to make Sulforaphane at home