Changes of Gut Microbiota in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Common Probiotics & Chinese Herbal Medicine Therapeutic Mechanisms: a Review

Objectives Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that often occurs in children and seriously affects daily life. In recent years, many studies have shown that intestinal microbial imbalance and intestinal-brain dysfunction may be the critical mechanism for the formation of ASD. This article reviews the changes in the gut microbiota of patients and their impact mechanisms, and the current mechanisms of probiotic and traditional Chinese medicine therapies. Methods A review of contemporary peer-reviewed studies. Pubmed and Cnki were the databases used to identify the studies. Results The majority of the reviewed studies demonstrated that changes in the gut microbiota can directly or indirectly induce ASD by affecting the immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Probiotics can improve brain function by affecting the vagus nerve, and improve metabolism by regulating the expression of neuroendocrine hormones. According to the Chinese medicine theory, there are three leading causes of ASD such as deficiency of kidney essence, stagnation of liver qi, and malnutrition of heart spirit. Conclusions The fermentation of Chinese herbal medicine and probiotics can be further studied and may become a new type of treatment for ASD in the future.