Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers
Celiac disease (CeD) is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten in genetically predisposed individuals, affecting all ages. Intestinal permeability (IP) is crucial in the pathogenesis of CeD and it is primarily governed by tight junctions (TJs) that uphold the intestinal barrier’s integrity. The...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/5/684 |
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| author | Miguel Ángel Martínez Gallego María Gema Crespo Sánchez María Gemma Serrano Olmedo Antonio Buño Soto Sonia Álvarez Casasempere Pilar Nozal Eva Martínez-Ojinaga Manuel Molina Arias Itsaso Losantos-García Marta Molero-Luis |
| author_facet | Miguel Ángel Martínez Gallego María Gema Crespo Sánchez María Gemma Serrano Olmedo Antonio Buño Soto Sonia Álvarez Casasempere Pilar Nozal Eva Martínez-Ojinaga Manuel Molina Arias Itsaso Losantos-García Marta Molero-Luis |
| author_sort | Miguel Ángel Martínez Gallego |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Celiac disease (CeD) is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten in genetically predisposed individuals, affecting all ages. Intestinal permeability (IP) is crucial in the pathogenesis of CeD and it is primarily governed by tight junctions (TJs) that uphold the intestinal barrier’s integrity. The protein zonulin plays a critical role in modulating the permeability of TJs having emerged as a potential non-invasive biomarker to study IP. The importance of this study lies in providing evidence for the usefulness of a non-invasive tool in the study of IP both at baseline and in the follow-up of paediatric patients with CeD. In this single-centre prospective observational study, we explored the correlation between faecal zonulin levels and others faecal and serum biomarkers for monitoring IP in CeD within the paediatric population. We also aimed to establish reference values for faecal zonulin in the paediatric population. We found that faecal zonulin and calprotectin values are higher at the onset of CeD compared with the control population. Specifically, the zonulin levels were 347.5 ng/mL as opposed to 177.7 ng/mL in the control population (<i>p</i> = 0.001), while calprotectin levels were 29.8 μg/g stool compared to 13.9 μg/g stool (<i>p</i> = 0.029). As the duration without gluten consumption increased, a significant reduction in faecal zonulin levels was observed in patients with CeD (348.5 ng/mL vs. 157.1 ng/mL; <i>p</i> = 0.002), along with a decrease in the prevalence of patients with vitamin D insufficiency (88.9% vs. 77.8%). We conclude that faecal zonulin concentrations were higher in the patients with active CeD compared with healthy individuals or those following a gluten-free diet (GFD). The significant decrease in their values over the duration of the GFD suggests the potential use of zonulin as an additional tool in monitoring adherence to a GFD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:22:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac9c970fb58540c2a5f4353e98131167 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:22:26Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
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| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac9c970fb58540c2a5f4353e981311672024-03-12T16:52:11ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432024-02-0116568410.3390/nu16050684Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal BiomarkersMiguel Ángel Martínez Gallego0María Gema Crespo Sánchez1María Gemma Serrano Olmedo2Antonio Buño Soto3Sonia Álvarez Casasempere4Pilar Nozal5Eva Martínez-Ojinaga6Manuel Molina Arias7Itsaso Losantos-García8Marta Molero-Luis9Department of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainPaediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Service, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainPaediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Service, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Biostatistics, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, SpainCeliac disease (CeD) is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten in genetically predisposed individuals, affecting all ages. Intestinal permeability (IP) is crucial in the pathogenesis of CeD and it is primarily governed by tight junctions (TJs) that uphold the intestinal barrier’s integrity. The protein zonulin plays a critical role in modulating the permeability of TJs having emerged as a potential non-invasive biomarker to study IP. The importance of this study lies in providing evidence for the usefulness of a non-invasive tool in the study of IP both at baseline and in the follow-up of paediatric patients with CeD. In this single-centre prospective observational study, we explored the correlation between faecal zonulin levels and others faecal and serum biomarkers for monitoring IP in CeD within the paediatric population. We also aimed to establish reference values for faecal zonulin in the paediatric population. We found that faecal zonulin and calprotectin values are higher at the onset of CeD compared with the control population. Specifically, the zonulin levels were 347.5 ng/mL as opposed to 177.7 ng/mL in the control population (<i>p</i> = 0.001), while calprotectin levels were 29.8 μg/g stool compared to 13.9 μg/g stool (<i>p</i> = 0.029). As the duration without gluten consumption increased, a significant reduction in faecal zonulin levels was observed in patients with CeD (348.5 ng/mL vs. 157.1 ng/mL; <i>p</i> = 0.002), along with a decrease in the prevalence of patients with vitamin D insufficiency (88.9% vs. 77.8%). We conclude that faecal zonulin concentrations were higher in the patients with active CeD compared with healthy individuals or those following a gluten-free diet (GFD). The significant decrease in their values over the duration of the GFD suggests the potential use of zonulin as an additional tool in monitoring adherence to a GFD.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/5/684zonulinpaediatricceliac diseasetight junctionsintestinal permeabilitycalprotectin |
| spellingShingle | Miguel Ángel Martínez Gallego María Gema Crespo Sánchez María Gemma Serrano Olmedo Antonio Buño Soto Sonia Álvarez Casasempere Pilar Nozal Eva Martínez-Ojinaga Manuel Molina Arias Itsaso Losantos-García Marta Molero-Luis Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers Nutrients zonulin paediatric celiac disease tight junctions intestinal permeability calprotectin |
| title | Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers |
| title_full | Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers |
| title_fullStr | Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers |
| title_short | Trends in Faecal Zonulin Concentrations in Paediatric Patients with Celiac Disease at Baseline and on a Gluten-Free Diet: Exploring Correlations with Other Faecal Biomarkers |
| title_sort | trends in faecal zonulin concentrations in paediatric patients with celiac disease at baseline and on a gluten free diet exploring correlations with other faecal biomarkers |
| topic | zonulin paediatric celiac disease tight junctions intestinal permeability calprotectin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/5/684 |
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