Researchers have singled out three specific protein fragments they believe are responsible for the intestinal discomfort common to people with celiac disease, reports US News & World Report. The partial proteins, called peptides, are found in wheat, rye and barley gluten.
People with celiac disease have a genetic predisposition that causes an immune response to gluten, which damages the walls of the small intestine and sabotages their ability to absorb food. The condition can cause painful bloating, diarrhea, constipation, lethargy and other problems.
Celiac patients have been advised by nutritionists and naturopaths for years to avoid all gluten-containing foods, but anyone who’s ever tried the gluten-free way knows how difficult it can be to avoid it altogether. Western diets are riddled with gluten. Pinpointing the specific culprits within gluten could lead to the development of a therapeutic vaccine that might help celiac patients tolerate what have become ubiquitous foods.
It’s been over 50 years that scientists have known gluten is the primary trigger, but because the protein is complex, they’ve been unable to identify the offending components until recently. Thanks to new technology, that’s starting to change.
In the Australian study, more than 200 celiac patients in Australia and Britain were asked to eat wheat, barley and rye in foods for three days, triggering their bodies’ immune T cells to attack the gluten. The researchers used these T cells to measure the patients’ immune reactions to 2,700 compounds found in gluten. Using new scanning technology, they found that while dozens of peptides elicited some immune response, three stood apart from the rest.
The team has already begun an early-stage clinical trial using these peptides in a vaccine that aims to desensitize celiac patients and make them tolerant of the compounds. The group expects to report preliminary safety results later this year. If they’re successful, the discovery could be life-changing for millions of people the world over.
The findings were published in the July 21st Science Translational Medicine journal.
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