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Effects of sulforaphane on ABC and SRS scales in patients with autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis

Jialing Guo, Yichao Wang, Weijun He, Mingxing Lou, Ying Peng, Hui Shi, Aojie Lian
Brain and Development 2025 47(2):104321

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 39951914
DOI
10.1016/j.braindev.2025.104321
Funding
Supported by Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation grants 2023JJ40356, 2023JJ40354 and 2023JJ40358.
Competing interests
The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work.

Study snapshot

DesignMeta-analysis
ModelPeople with autism spectrum disorder in controlled sulforaphane studies
SampleSix included studies; sample size varied by pooled outcome and duration
InterventionSulforaphane interventions versus control across included clinical studies.
DurationVariable; subgrouped by intervention duration
EndpointsAberrant Behavior Checklist total score; ABC irritability; ABC hyperactivity; ABC stereotypic behavior; ABC inappropriate speech; Social Responsiveness Scale

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 2025 meta-analysis found no significant improvement in the pooled ABC total score, while irritability and hyperactivity showed significant improvement in analyses of interventions lasting more than 10 and up to 18 weeks. Other symptom domains were less consistent.

Key findings

ABC total score was not significantly reduced in pooled analyses. Irritability and hyperactivity improved in the 10–18 week duration subgroup, while stereotypic behavior and inappropriate speech were not significantly different.

What this study can and cannot tell us

The evidence base was small and heterogeneous, with substantial heterogeneity for some pooled outcomes and variation in age, dose, formulation, duration and concomitant treatment. The analysis does not establish sulforaphane as a general autism treatment.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology