At present, the only recommended treatment for people with celiac disease is to avoid foods containing gluten. But the authors say few studies have looked at the effect of non-gluten proteins, and where they have, the results have been mixed. As such, they decided to investigate further.
Using serum samples from patients with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (a rash associated with the disease), alongside samples from healthy controls, the team tested their immune reaction to a number of non-gluten proteins and found:
"Compared with healthy controls, patients exhibited significantly higher levels of antibody reactivity to non-gluten proteins. The main immunoreactive non-gluten antibody target proteins were identified as serpins, purinins, α-amylase/protease inhibitors, globulins and farinins."
The authors recommend that when researchers explore potential clinical treatments for celiac disease, they do not overlook non-gluten proteins.