Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1987 Sep;28(9):1062–1072. doi: 10.1136/gut.28.9.1062

Passage of dietary antigens into the blood of children with coeliac disease. Quantification and size distribution of absorbed antigens.

S Husby 1, N Foged 1, A Høst 1, S E Svehag 1
PMCID: PMC1433239  PMID: 3678964

Abstract

The uptake of ovalbumin (OA) from egg and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) from cow's milk into the blood was investigated for seven hours after a test meal in five children with coeliac disease on a gluten free diet and after gluten challenge, and in five children with normal jejunal mucosa. Ovalbumin was detectable by ELISA in three of five coeliac children (maximal concentrations 8-178 ng/ml serum) and in five of five controls (maximal 4-91 ng/ml serum). Beta-lactoglobulin was detected in three of five coeliac children (maximal 0.6-6 ng/ml serum) and in two of five controls (maximal 0.5 and 50 ng/ml serum). No clear relationship was seen between maximal antigen concentrations and titres of serum IgG or IgA antibodies determined by ELISA, or as percentage antigen binding in a Farr type radioimmunoassay. Ovalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin was seen in serum of all coeliac patients and controls by HPLC fractionation in combination with ELISA, either in high MW fractions, or at the Mr of native OA and BLG, respectively. In one control degradation products (about 17 kD) of BLG were detectable in serum. The serum concentrations of OA and BLG were increased on gluten challenge in four or five coeliac children, indicating increased macromolecular passage through the gut mucosa in untreated coeliac disease.

Full text

PDF
1062

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bjarnason I., Peters T. J., Veall N. A persistent defect in intestinal permeability in coeliac disease demonstrated by a 51Cr-labelled EDTA absorption test. Lancet. 1983 Feb 12;1(8320):323–325. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91628-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chadwick V. S., Phillips S. F., Hofmann A. F. Measurements of intestinal permeability using low molecular weight polyethylene glycols (PEG 400). II. Application to normal and abnormal permeability states in man and animals. Gastroenterology. 1977 Aug;73(2):247–251. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cunningham-Rundles C., Brandeis W. E., Good R. A., Day N. K. Bovine antigens and the formation of circulating immune complexes in selective immunoglobulin A deficiency. J Clin Invest. 1979 Jul;64(1):272–279. doi: 10.1172/JCI109448. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cunningham-Rundles C., Carr R. I., Good R. A. Dietary protein antigenemia in humoral immunodeficiency. Correlation with splenomegaly. Am J Med. 1984 Feb;76(2):181–185. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(84)90771-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dannaeus A., Inganäs M., Johansson S. G., Foucard T. Intestinal uptake of ovalbumin in malabsorption and food allergy in relation to serum IgG antibody and orally administered sodium cromoglycate. Clin Allergy. 1979 May;9(3):263–270. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1979.tb01552.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doe W. F., Booth C. C., Brown D. L. Evidence for complement-binding immune complexes in adult coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Lancet. 1973 Feb 24;1(7800):402–403. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90254-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ferguson A., Carswell F. Precipitins to dietary proteins in serum and upper intestinal secretions of coeliac children. Br Med J. 1972 Jan 8;1(5792):75–77. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5792.75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GRUSKAY F. L., COOKE R. E. The gastrointestinal absorption of unaltered protein in normal infants and in infants recovering from diarrhea. Pediatrics. 1955 Dec;16(6):763–769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Holmskov-Nielsen U., Erb K., Jensenius J. C. Semi-automatic analysis of proteins and protein complexes by automated enzyme immunoassay after separation by high-performance gel-permeation chromatography. Size distribution of C3-IgG complexes. J Chromatogr. 1984 Aug 3;297:225–233. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9673(01)89044-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Husby S., Jensenius J. C., Svehag S. E. Passage of undegraded dietary antigen into the blood of healthy adults. Further characterization of the kinetics of uptake and the size distribution of the antigen. Scand J Immunol. 1986 Oct;24(4):447–455. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1986.tb02133.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Husby S., Jensenius J. C., Svehag S. E. Passage of undegraded dietary antigen into the blood of healthy adults. Quantification, estimation of size distribution, and relation of uptake to levels of specific antibodies. Scand J Immunol. 1985 Jul;22(1):83–92. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1985.tb01862.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Husby S., Larsen F. S., Petersen P. H., Svehag S. E. Humoral immunity to dietary antigens in atopic dermatitis. I. Biotin-avidin amplified ELISA-analysis for serum IgG antibodies. Allergy. 1986 Jul;41(5):379–385. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1986.tb00316.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Husby S., Oxelius V. A., Teisner B., Jensenius J. C., Svehag S. E. Humoral immunity to dietary antigens in healthy adults. Occurrence, isotype and IgG subclass distribution of serum antibodies to protein antigens. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1985;77(4):416–422. doi: 10.1159/000233819. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jensenius J. C., Siersted H. C., Johnstone A. P. Quantification of human immunoglobulins by semiautomatic polyethylene glycol precipitation radioimmunoassays. Estimation of circulating immune complexes and immunoglobulin synthesized in vitro. J Immunol Methods. 1983;56(1):19–32. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(83)90045-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kenrick K. G., Walker-Smith J. A. Immunoglobulins and dietary protein antibodies in childhood coeliac disease. Gut. 1970 Aug;11(8):635–640. doi: 10.1136/gut.11.8.635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kilshaw P. J., Cant A. J. The passage of maternal dietary proteins into human breast milk. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1984;75(1):8–15. doi: 10.1159/000233582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Maury C. P., Teppo A. M. Demonstration of tissue 90 kD glycoprotein as antigen in circulating IgG immune complexes in dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease. Lancet. 1984 Oct 20;2(8408):892–894. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)90654-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. May C. D., Remigio L., Feldman J., Bock S. A., Carr R. I. A study of serum antibodies to isolated milk proteins and ovalbumin in infants and children. Clin Allergy. 1977 Nov;7(6):583–595. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1977.tb01489.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McNeish A. S., Harms H. K., Rey J., Shmerling D. H., Visakorpi J. K., Walker-Smith J. A. The diagnosis of coeliac disease. A commentary on the current practices of members of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (ESPGAN). Arch Dis Child. 1979 Oct;54(10):783–786. doi: 10.1136/adc.54.10.783. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Menzies I. S., Laker M. F., Pounder R., Bull J., Heyer S., Wheeler P. G., Creamer B. Abnormal intestinal permeability to sugars in villous atrophy. Lancet. 1979 Nov 24;2(8152):1107–1109. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)92507-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mohammed I., Holborow E. J., Fry L., Thompson B. R., Hoffbrand A. V., Stewart J. S. Multiple immune complexes and hypocomplementaemia in dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease. Lancet. 1976 Sep 4;1(7984):487–490. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)90787-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Paganelli R., Atherton D. J., Levinsky R. J. Differences between normal and milk allergic subjects in their immune responses after milk ingestion. Arch Dis Child. 1983 Mar;58(3):201–206. doi: 10.1136/adc.58.3.201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Paganelli R., Levinsky R. J. Solid phase radioimmunoassay for detection of circulating food protein antigens in human serum. J Immunol Methods. 1980;37(3-4):333–341. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(80)90319-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pitcher-Wilmott R. W., Booth I., Harries J., Levinsky R. J. Intestinal absorption of food antigens in coeliac disease. Arch Dis Child. 1982 Jun;57(6):462–466. doi: 10.1136/adc.57.6.462. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Scott H., Fausa O., Ek J., Brandtzaeg P. Immune response patterns in coeliac disease. Serum antibodies to dietary antigens measured by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clin Exp Immunol. 1984 Jul;57(1):25–32. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Walker W. A., Isselbacher K. J. Uptake and transport of macromolecules by the intestine. Possible role in clinical disorders. Gastroenterology. 1974 Sep;67(3):531–550. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES