[Decrease of the cytotoxicity of gliadin fractions in the development of celiac disease. Organotypic culture study]

Observation up to adulthood of children with coeliac disease given again a normal diet had shown a clinical as well as histologic reduction in their sensitivity to gluten. From this fact a retrospective study was undertaken to appreciate whether this decreased sensitivity was also observed in vitro in a model of organotypic culture of intestinal mucosa obtained by biopsy, in the presence of gliadin toxic peptides. Twelve children had 2 cultures with a several year interval under normal diet. In 10 of them a decreased cytotoxic effect was observed. However, the explanation of this decrease remains difficult. It seems related neither to the age of the children, nor with the status of the mucosa at the time of in vitro testing, or to the duration of the gluten-containing diet. This study finally confirms that it is impossible to use organotypic cultures as an in vitro test for the diagnosis of coeliac disease.