title: Immunological indicators of coeliac disease activity are not altered by long-term oats challenge.
abstract: Coeliac disease is a gluten-sensitive enteropathy that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. The disease exhibits many features of an autoimmune disorder. These include the production of highly specific anti-endomysial autoantibodies directed against the enzyme tissue transglutaminase. It is well accepted that wheat-, barley- and rye-based foods should be excluded in the gluten-free diet. Although several studies report that oats ingestion is safe in this diet, the potential toxicity of oats remains controversial. In the current study, 46 coeliac patients ingested oats for 1 year and were investigated for a potential immunogenic or toxic effect. Stringent clinical monitoring of these patients was performed and none experienced adverse effects, despite ingestion of a mean of 286 g of oats each week. Routine histological analysis of intestinal biopsies showed improvement or no change in 95% of the samples examined. Furthermore, tissue transglutaminase expression in biopsy samples, determined quantitatively using the IN Cell Analyzer, was unchanged. Employing immunohistochemistry, oats ingestion was not associated with changes in intraepithelial lymphocyte numbers or with enterocyte proliferation as assessed by Ki-67 staining. Finally, despite the potential for tissue transglutaminase to interact with oats, neither endomysial nor tissue transglutaminase antibodies were generated in any of the patients throughout the study. To conclude, this study reaffirms the lack of oats immunogenicity and toxicity to coeliac patients. It also suggests that the antigenic stimulus caused by wheat exposure differs fundamentally from that caused by oats.
authors: Department of Immunology, St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: S E J
authors: SE
authors: Cooper
authors: N P
authors: NP
authors: Kennedy
authors: B M
authors: BM
authors: Mohamed
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Abuzakouk
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Dunne
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Byrne
authors: G
authors: G
authors: McDonald
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Davies
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Edwards
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kelly
authors: C F
authors: CF
authors: Feighery
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018554:Avena / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D004032:Diet; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D011503:Transglutaminases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins
references: Physiol Rev. 2009 Jul;89(3):991-1023
references: 19584319
references: Postgrad Med J. 2006 Oct;82(972):672-8
references: 17068278
references: Prog Exp Tumor Res. 2005;38:89-114
references: 15746531
references: Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1998 Nov;10(11):919-25
references: 9872613
references: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2007 Feb;42(2):171-8
references: 17327936
references: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 May 15;23(10):1463-72
references: 16669961
references: PLoS Med. 2004 Oct;1(1):e1
references: 15526039
references: Gut. 2001 Mar;48(3):418-24
references: 11171836
references: J Mol Med (Berl). 2003 Jun;81(6):373-9
references: 12743709
references: Gut. 1993 Nov;34(11):1515-9
references: 8244135
references: N Engl J Med. 2007 Oct 25;357(17):1731-43
references: 17960014
references: Dig Dis Sci. 2008 Jan;53(1):52-61
references: 17487584
references: BMJ. 1999 Jul 24;319(7204):236-9
references: 10417090
references: Dig Dis Sci. 2006 Oct;51(10):1862-8
references: 16964549
references: Gut. 2004 May;53(5):649-54
references: 15082581
references: BMJ. 1996 Nov 23;313(7068):1300-1
references: 8942690
references: Amino Acids. 2004 Jul;26(4):387-404
references: 15290345
references: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2008;43(9):1094-101
references: 18609150
references: Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2004 Sep;12(3):198-204
references: 15551731
references: Clin Exp Immunol. 2006 May;144(2):197-203
references: 16634791
references: Dig Liver Dis. 2006 Sep;38(9):652-8
references: 16916632
references: N Engl J Med. 1995 Oct 19;333(16):1033-7
references: 7675045
references: Gastroenterology. 2003 Oct;125(4):1105-13
references: 14517794
references: Virchows Arch. 2009 Oct;455(4):363-73
references: 19756726
references: Gut. 2003 Nov;52(11):1649-52
references: 14570737
references: Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2001 Sep;13(9):1123-8
references: 11564968
references: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2007 Jan;42(1):54-9
references: 17190763
references: J Pediatr. 2000 Sep;137(3):361-6
references: 10969261
references: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2004 Jan;39(1):27-31
references: 14992558
references: Mol Immunol. 2010 Feb;47(5):1010-22
references: 20004474
references: Scand J Gastroenterol. 2004 Dec;39(12):1219-27
references: 15742999
references: Am J Physiol. 1999 Jul;277(1):C1-9
references: 10409103