UC Davis

We examined associations between prenatal oxidative stress (OS) and child autism-related outcomes. Women with an autistic child were followed through a subsequent pregnancy and that younger siblings childhood. Associations between glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), 8-oxo-deoxyguanine (8-OHdG), and nitrotyrosine and younger sibling Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores were examined using quantile regression. Increasing GSH:GSSG (suggesting decreasing OS) was associated with minor increases in SRS scores (50th percentile β: 1.78, 95% CI: 0.67, 3.06); no other associations were observed. Results from this cohort with increased risk for autism do not support a strong relationship between OS in late pregnancy and autism-related outcomes. Results may be specific to those with enriched autism risk; future work should consider other timepoints and biomarkers.