Timing of infiltration of T lymphocytes induced by gluten into the small intestine in coeliac disease.
Jejunal biopsy was performed on control subjects and patients with treated and untreated coeliac disease. Monoclonal antibodies to T lymphocyte surface markers were used to quantify T cell phenotypic subsets in the jejunal mucosa. The patients with untreated coeliac disease had significantly more of both suppressor/cytotoxic and helper/inducer T cells in the surface epithelium than either the control subjects or the treated patients. Serial jejunal biopsy specimens were taken from five treated coeliac patients for six hours after a gluten challenge. In four of these five infiltration of the surface epithelium by both T cell phenotypes, together with deterioration in the villus architecture, had occurred both within two hours of having started the challenge. This suggests that T lymphocytes may have a role in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005983:Glutens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000473:pathology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; D013997:Time Factors
D005983:Glutens