Discussion
GI disorders, satiety, heterogeneous disorder
GI DISORDERS
This study investigated associations among the gut microbiota, SCFAs levels and C-ASD in Chinese children. Bacterial richness and diversity were decreased in Chinese children with C-ASD. Nine gut microbiota taxa were enriched in the C-ASD group, and seven gut microbiota taxa were enriched in the TD group. Faecal PPA levels were significantly higher in patients with C-ASD than in the TD group, and PPA levels were negatively correlated with Alterations of the gut microbiota in ASD have been described in previous reports. The abundance of The pathways involved in the microbiota-gut-brain axis in ASD include neuronal pathways, neural immune pathways and chemical signalling pathwaysSince the level of PPA was significantly higher in the C-ASD group and positively correlated with ABC and CARS scores in the current study, we hypothesized that PPA levels would be associated with the severity of ASD symptoms. Studies have demonstrated that rat models of ASD can be generated using various routes of PPA administrationRegarding eating patterns, although no significant difference was found between the two groups in CEBQ scores, the C-ASD group showed more food fussiness, satiety responsiveness and desire to drink. A growing number of studies have established links between GI disorders and the gut microbiota in children with ASD. As a probiotic, Several scales, such as the CARS and ABC, are available to assess behaviours and symptoms associated with ASD. However, diagnosing ASD has always been difficult, and the condition is recognized at a late stage for treatment to have a major effect. Several studies have focused on biomarkers for determining ASD risk or assisting with diagnosis, such as proteomic analysisThere are some limitations of our study. First, we did not control for confounding factors of geographical differences, which can affect the gut microbiome. All included subjects were recruited from a city along the southeastern coast of China. Thus, the topography, climatic characteristics, and dietary patterns are similar. Second, intestinal bacteria were analysed based on 16S rRNA rather than metagenomics. Third, given the small sample size, more studies are needed to confirm these findings, as these data did not permit subgroup analysis. Since ASD is a highly heterogeneous disorder, it is more reasonable to perform a subgroup analysis to assess factors such as symptom severity. Finally, due to a cross-sectional study, the causal relationship among the gut microbiota, SCFAs levels and C-ASD remains unknown, but a complex association was observed.