วารสารวิทยาลัยบัณฑิตเอเซีย ...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in 2 symptoms which are social and communication impairment and repetitive behaviors together with limited interests with the prevalence of 1 in 59 children in the United States. The exact cause of this disorder is still unclear but there is accumulating evidence that the susceptibility of ASD is influenced by the combination of multiple genes and environmental factors. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical that has been associated with ASD. Recent studies have reported that children with ASD have increased BPA levels in the blood and the urine. However, it is still unclear whether BPA can alter the expression of genes associated with ASD. In this study, we conducted a series of bioinformatic analyses using CU-DREAMx program and pathway analysis to predict the association of BPA-responsive genes and ASD, and also predict biological functions impacted by BPA exposure. We found that BPA-responsive genes (i.e. SOD1, MEF2C, and GNAS) are significantly associated with ASD and ASD-related neurological functions. These genes may serve as good candidates for studying the effect of BPA exposure at the molecular level and its role in ASD susceptibility in the future.