Thimerosal/vaccination Autism Risk Controversy: Raising its ugly head around autistic brain?

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Toxic Effect of Thimerosal in vaccines on B-cells in Subset of Autism: Implications for effect on brain

Evidence indicates a multi-assault model for pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders involving interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The environmental factors may vary among patients just as the genomic/phenotypic abnormalities.

Background on autism and thimerosal

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Many autism patients show evidence of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. There has been a passionate debate about the role mercury plays in the pathogenesis including but not limited to thimerosal used as preservative in vaccines especially since mercury is ubiquitous in environment and can also be consumed in food.

Epidemiological data thus far does not support connection between thimerosal and autism. Could it be that thimerosal injury may manifest only in small number of subjects with mitochondrial/oxidative dysfunction?

A legal case to ponder

A landmark case involved Hannah Poling who was awarded damages based on the fact that she had mitochondrial dysfunction exacerbated by the vaccines. Whether this case represents a legal victory or actually a medical breakthrough remains to be established.

The study that is rekindling the controversy

Dr. Sharpe and colleagues from the Department of Neurosurgery, The Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX conducted an in vitro study of effects of thimerosal on B-lymphocyte cells from patients with autism, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls.

Thimerosal autism study

• 11 families were studied
• B-cells were subjected to increasing concentrations of thimerosal
• Tests were done to examine markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant status and mitochondrial function

Results of thimerosal-autism study

 Increased vulnerability to adverse  effects of thimerosal was seen in 8 subjects from four families including 4 with autism, 2 twins and 2 siblings. None of the healthy controls exhibited increased sensitivity to thimerosal.

• Thimerosal inhibited cell growth at concentrations of thimerosal that were 40% of that seen in unaffected subjects.
• Basal level of oxidant levels was 50% higher in sensitive subjects indicating increased oxidative stress in vulnerable subjects. This increased oxidative stress  may have contributed to the thimerosal sensitivity.
• Further experiments in the study  indicated that the increased oxidative stress in such subjects  is due to impaired antioxidant defenses especially those related to glutathione.
• Mitochondria, the energy producing component of cells appeared to be the primary target of thimerosal in the sensitive subjects.
• Furthermore, there was a 50% chance of twins/siblings demonstrating toxic effects of thimerosal suggesting a genetic vulnerability to toxic impact of thimerosal.

Note:

The investigators used thimerosal in concentrations  similar to those seen in infants after vaccination.

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Potential implications for brain disorders like autism

Since only a fraction of subjects may have genetic susceptibility to problems related to thimerosal in the presence of mitochondrial dysfunction, the combination of the two makes them predisposed to thimerosal toxic insult of inhibiting growth of body cells during defenseless period of brain development.

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Dr. Minocha's comments

• Above results should be taken in context that effects of thimerosal were examined on B-lymphocyes and not on brain cells.
• Above results would only be applicable to neuro-behavioral dysfunction like autism if brain cells would behave similar to B-cells in response to exposure to thimerosal.  This may or may not be true.
• Results of above study do not allow us to leap to the issue of actual etiology of autism. All it indicates is that although the range of toxic thimerosal concentrations is wide and not dissimilar to overall population, the small subset of subjects display toxic effects at much lower concentrations of thimerosal.
• There is a possibility albeit unproven in human studies that some subjects with mitochondrial dysfunction may be more susceptible to mitochondria-specific toxins like mercury thimerosal.
• Never make decisions about your health based on what you read on internet. Talk to your doctor!

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