International Journal of General Medicine (Dec 2021)

Assessment of Markers of Gut Integrity and Inflammation in Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity After a Gluten Free-Diet

  • Dale HF,
  • Johannessen JCH,
  • Brønstad I,
  • Lied GA

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 9459 – 9470

Abstract

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Hanna Fjeldheim Dale,1– 3 Julianne CH Johannessen,1 Ingeborg Brønstad,2,3 Gülen Arslan Lied1– 3 1Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; 2Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; 3National Centre of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, NorwayCorrespondence: Hanna Fjeldheim DaleDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 65, Bergen, 0521, NorwayTel + 47 98088495Email [email protected]: Markers for gut integrity and inflammation have received increasing interest as intestinal permeability and innate immune system activation are suggested as possible pathophysiological mechanisms in non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). We aimed to assess relevant biomarkers in NCGS by analyzing serum levels of gut integrity and permeability markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines and antigliadin IgG in patients with suspected NCGS on a gluten-free diet (GFD), and compare them to serum levels in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy controls (HC).Patients and Methods: Serum samples collected from patients with suspected NCGS on a GFD (n=20, 14 women, 21– 62 years), IBS (n=20, 16 women, 24– 67 years) and HC (n=20, 14 women, 21– 54 years) were analyzed. IBS severity scoring system (IBS-SSS) was applied to evaluate gastrointestinal symptoms.Results: The IBS-SSS score was higher in subjects with suspected NCGS and IBS patients compared to HC (p< 0.0001). No significant differences were found in the serum levels of any of the gut integrity and permeability markers, cytokines or antigliadin IgG antibodies between the three groups. However, positive correlations were observed between claudin-1 and i-FABP, and between claudin-1 and antigliadin IgG antibodies.Conclusion: No differences in serum levels of gut integrity and permeability markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines or antigliadin IgG antibodies were found among patients with suspected NCGS on a GFD, IBS and HC.Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome, gluten, permeability, pro-inflammatory cytokines

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