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Research at the National Spanish Research Council in Valencia, Spain suggests that different intestinal bacteria in celiac patients could affect inflammation to varying degrees – meaning that patients with inflammatory auto-immune conditions such as coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes could be helped by manipulating the intestinal microbiota with probiotics and prebiotics.

The researchers used cultures of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as in vitro models, as intestinal mucosa monocytes are constantly replenished by blood monocytes and accurately represent an in vivo situation. To simulate the intestinal environment of celiac disease, cell cultures were exposed to Gram-negative bacteria isolated from celiac patients and bifidobacteria, both alone and in the presence of disease triggers. The effects on surface marker expression and cytokine production by PBMCs were determined. The Gram-negative bacteria induced higher pro-inflammatory cytokines than the bifidobacteria. These bacteria also up-regulated expression of cell surface markers involved in inflammatory characteristics of the disease, while bifidobacteria up-regulated the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Although further trial in live human subjects are needed, this research could point the way to an alternative strategy for treating, and possibly even preventing, coeliac disease.

Journal of Leukocyte Biology, May 2010

Courtesy of Science Daily

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