Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the plasma levels of vitamins in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and explore their relationship with developmental milestones and core symptoms. High-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was utilized to measure the levels of lipid-soluble and water-soluble vitamins in plasma. The development and behavioral assessment scale was employed to evaluate the developmental progress of children aged 0-6, with data quality values representing their abilities in five domains; gross motor skills, fine motor skills, adaptability, language and social communication. The clinical core symptoms and behavioral traits of children in the autism spectrum disorder group were assessed using the childhood autism rating scale and childhood autism behavior scale. In the autism spectrum disorder group, higher plasma vitamin A levels were found to be positively associated with fine motor skills, adaptability, and social interaction scores (correlation coefficients r=0.517, 0.615 and 0.648; p=0.048, 0.015 and 0.009). Conversely, plasma nicotinamide levels exhibited a negative correlation with fine motor skills and social interaction scores (correlation coefficients r=-0.662, -0.535 and -0.535; p<0.05). Additionally, there was a positive correlation observed between plasma folate levels and overall developmental scores (correlation coefficient r=0.545 and p=0.036). No significant correlations were found between plasma vitamin levels and childhood autism rating scale and childhood autism behavior scale scores in the autism spectrum disorder group (p>0.05). In summary, the plasma levels of vitamin E, vitamin B1, niacinamide, and pyridoxamine hydrochloride were significantly elevated in children with autism spectrum disorder compared to the control group, although all values remained within the normal range.