OBJECTIVE Removal of the dietary wheat protein gluten protects against autoimmune diabetes in animal models. Furthermore, elimination of dietary gluten reduces the frequency of type 1 diabetes in patients with celiac disease. Herein we test the hypothesis that gluten is the driving antigen for type 1 diabetes-associated islet autoimmunity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Seven autoantibody-positi...

AIM Radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) has since long been considered as irreversible. Further understanding of its mechanisms has led to trials investigating RIF treatment and prevention. The effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD)-gliadin, an oral form of SOD that resists gastrointestinal inactivation, on RIF treatment was evaluated in this experimental study. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 36...

OBJECTIVE Little is known about the interaction of gliadin with intestinal epithelial cells and the mechanism(s) through which gliadin crosses the intestinal epithelial barrier. We investigated whether gliadin has any immediate effect on zonulin release and signaling. MATERIAL AND METHODS Both ex vivo human small intestines and intestinal cell monolayers were exposed to gliadin, and zonulin r...

We have generated closed-cell microcellular foams from gliadin, an abundantly available wheat storage protein. The extraction procedure of gliadin from wheat gluten, which involves only the natural solvents water and ethanol, respectively, is described with emphasis on the precipitation step of gliadin which results in a fine dispersion of mostly spherical, submicron gliadin particles composed ...

Celiac disease, triggered by wheat gliadin and related prolamins from barley and rye, is characterized by a strong association with HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes. Gliadin is a mixture of many proteins that makes difficult the identification of major immunodominant epitopes. To address this issue, we expressed in Escherichia coli a recombinant alpha-gliadin (r-alpha-gliadin) showing the most conserv...

Background and aims: Despite the progress made in understanding the immunological aspects of the pathogenesis of coeliac disease (CD), the early steps that allow gliadin to cross the intestinal barrier are still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to establish whether gliadin activates a zonulin dependent enterocyte intracellular signalling pathway(s) leading to increased intestinal perm...

BACKGROUND Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune gastrointestinal disorder characterized by the presence of anti-transglutaminase 2 (TG2) and anti-gliadin antibodies. Amongst the neurological dysfunctions associated with CD, ataxia represents the most common one. METHODS We analyzed by immunohistochemistry, the anti-neural reactivity of the serum from 20 CD patients. To determine the role of a...

How to cite this article: Cornell HJ, Stelmasiak T. Caricain: A basis for enzyme therapy for coeliac disease. S Afr J Sci. 2011;107(9/10), Art. #529, 5 pages. doi:10.4102/ sajs.v107i9/10.529 Gliadin, a glycoprotein present in wheat and other grass cereals, is a causative agent in coeliac disease. It is therefore important to find methods for the detoxification of gliadin. Lysosomal integrity is...

INTRODUCTION Pustular palmoplantar psoriasis (PPP) is a rare type of psoriasis affecting mainly distal parts of the limbs. Despite numerous theories about etiology of PPP, the pathogenesis still remains unclear. Recent data indicate that interleukin (IL)-15, IL-17 and IL-22 enhance a proinflammatory response in certain skin inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. There is...

Dietary gluten causes severe disorders like celiac disease in gluten-intolerant humans. However, currently understanding of its impact in tolerant individuals is limited. Our objective was to test whether gliadin, one of the detrimental parts of gluten, would impact the metabolic effects of an obesogenic diet. Mice were fed either a defined high-fat diet (HFD) containing 4% gliadin (n = 20), or...