{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T17:55:49Z","timestamp":1792518949189,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,4]],"date-time":"2022-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659571200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"King Saud University"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Metabolites"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of pathological conditions, mainly of genetic origin, characterized by stereotyped behavior, such as marked impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, social skills, and cognition. Excitatory\/inhibitory (E\/I) imbalances have been recorded as an etiological mechanism of ASD. Furthermore, GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult life, is known to be much lower in both patients and rodent models of ASD. We propose correcting GABA signaling as a therapeutic strategy for ASD. In this study, 40 young male western Albino rats, 3\u20134 weeks in age, weighing about 60\u201370 g, were used. The animals were randomly assigned into six experimental groups, each including eight rats. Group I served as the control group and was orally administered phosphate-buffered saline. Groups II and III served as rodent models of ASD and were orally administered a neurotoxic dose of propionic acid (PPA). The rats in the three therapeutic groups (IV, V, and IV) received the same doses of PPA, followed by 0.2 g\/kg body weight of pure Bifidobacterium infantis, a probiotic mixture of ProtexinR, and pure Lactobacillus bulgaricus, respectively, for 3 weeks. Selected variables related to oxidative stress, glutamate excitotoxicity, and gut bacteria were measured in the six groups. Both pure and mixed Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium\u00a0were effective in ameliorating glutamate excitotoxicity as an autistic feature developed in the PPA-induced rodent model. Their therapeutic effects mostly involved the correction of oxidative stress, restoration of depleted GABA, and up-regulation of GABA receptor gene expression. Pure Bifidobacterium was the most effective, followed by the mixture of probiotics and finally  lactobacillus.\u00a0In conclusion, Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can be used independently or in combination as psychobiotics to ameliorate oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity as two confirmed etiological mechanisms through the gut\u2013brain axis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/metabo12080720","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]],"date-time":"2022-08-05T02:12:39Z","timestamp":1659665559000},"page":"720","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Probiotic Ameliorating Effects of Altered GABA\/Glutamate Signaling in a Rodent Model of Autism"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Rawan M.","family":"Bin-Khattaf","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9430-7980","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mona A.","family":"Alonazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abeer M.","family":"Al-Dbass","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmad T.","family":"Almnaizel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Experimental Surgery and Animal Lab, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hisham S.","family":"Aloudah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Experimental Surgery and Animal Lab, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6729-4347","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dina A.","family":"Soliman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Botany and Microbiology, Science College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Afaf K.","family":"El-Ansary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Research Laboratory, Female Campus, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3384","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph10083384","article-title":"The Dynamics of Autism Spectrum Disorders: How Neurotoxic Compounds and Neurotransmitters Interact","volume":"10","author":"Quaak","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"393","DOI":"10.1007\/s12640-012-9354-3","article-title":"Excitotoxicity in the Pathogenesis of Autism","volume":"23","author":"Essa","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neurotox. 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