Drug Linked to Mitochondria Treats Mouse Model of Autism

A century-old drug created to treat African sleeping sickness reverses several autism-related features in a mouse model of the disorder, according to a study published 13 March in PLoS ONE.The drug, called suramin, blocks purinergic receptors, which sit on the surface of every cell in the body. These receptors are indirectly controlled by mitochondria, organelles that provide each cell with energy.Robert Naviaux and his colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, gave suramin to mice whose mothers had been exposed to a mock infection during pregnancy. These mouse pups have social and communication deficits and repetitive behaviors reminiscent of autism. They also have motor problems and lose Purkinje cells — a type of cells found only in the cerebellum, a region involved in movement planning and sensory integration.Suramin improves the animals’ social behaviors and motor coordination, and prevents the loss of Purkinje cells, the study found. The drug does not improve communication deficits or repetitive behaviors.Read more at...SFARI.org, April 2013.