Gliadin antibody production by small intestinal lymphocytes from patients with coeliac disease

Small intestinal lymphocytes (SIL) were isolated from jejunal biopsies from 9 non-coeliac controls, 6 treated and 5 untreated coeliac patients. Six-day cell culture supernatants were assayed for total IgG, IgM and IgA and specific anti-casein and anti-gliadin antibodies by ELISA. SIL from the untreated patients secreted more total IgM and IgA than SIL from the treated patients and more total IgG, IgM and IgA than SIL from the controls. The untreated patients' cells secreted more specific anti-gliadin IgA than those from the treated patients and more anti-gliadin IgG, IgM and IgA than the controls. SIL from the untreated group released more anti-casein IgM than those from either the treated or control groups. There were no differences in total immunoglobulin, or specific anti-casein or anti-gliadin antibody secretion by SIL from the treated and control groups. Comparison of immunoglobulin release from cells lysed prior to culture and that secreted both after 30-min and 6-day cultures showed that the majority of immunoglobulin had been synthesised in vitro and could not be accounted for by carry-over.