[Cytokines in the pathogeny of celiac disease].
Celiac disease is manifested by an enteropathy caused by intolerance to gluten, a family of proteins found in wheat and other cereals. Following intestinal T-cell activation in predisposed individuals, different inflammatory mechanisms are triggered under the control of the cytokine balance including those with a pro-inflammatory Th1 pattern such as IFNgamma, TNFalpha, IL-15 and IL-18; and regulatory cytokines such as TGFbeta and IL-10. These cytokines, besides increasing the intensity of the activation and the number of immune cells within the intestinal mucosa, regulate the activity of epithelial growth factors and metalloproteinases, a group of molecules involved in the maintenance and turnover of the intestinal mucosa structure; in inflammatory conditions, they also induce the intestinal lesion responsible for malabsorption syndrome.
León
Alberto J
AJ
Departamento de Pediatría e Inmunología, Instituto de Biología y Genética Molecular, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Garrote
José A
JA
Arranz
Eduardo
E
D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000502:physiology
D016207:Cytokines; D018664:Interleukin-12