Introduction: This study was done to further reveal the role of the innate immune system in celiac disease.
Methods: Dendritic cells were matured from venous blood of patients with active or treated celiac disease and DQ2-DQ8-positive or negative controls. Dendritic cells were treated with a peptic-tryptic digest of gliadin (500 microg/ml) and their activation was analyzed by fluorescent-activated cell sorting analysis, cytokine secretion, and their ability to elicit T cell proliferation.
Results and discussion: Gliadin upregulated interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-12 (p40) secretion in dendritic cells and induced strong expression of the maturation markers human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR, CD25, CD83, and CD86 of all subjects irrespective of their genotype or the presence of disease, whereas the digest of bovine serum albumin showed no effect. However, gliadin-stimulated dendritic cells from active celiac showed enhanced stimulation of autologous T cells compared to the other groups.
Conclusion: Further research should be aimed at identifying the mechanisms that control inflammation in healthy individuals.