Wheat flour proteins linked to celiac disease analysed
What it found
Scientists separated and identified the gluten proteins in commercial wheat flour, and tested how strongly several of these fractions react with an antibody tied to celiac disease.
The work was done in the lab, not in people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Immune reactivity testing
Several different gluten fractions were checked for reactivity towards the main epitope related to celiac disease using ELISA and western blotting.
Other findings
What was in the flour
The gliadin extract also contained glutenins and avenin-like proteins, not just gliadins.
Identifying each protein
The authors say accurately identifying each prolamin is needed to understand how each fraction affects the start of celiac disease.
What the authors conclude
“Accurate prolamin identification has emerged as a need to delve deep into the influence of each fraction on the onset of celiac disease.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say accurate prolamin identification is needed to dig deeper into how each fraction influences the onset of celiac disease.
- Their work points to measuring the individual potential immunoreactivity of wheat gluten proteins.
How it was done
The immune reaction in celiac disease is triggered by gluten peptides, but because all gluten proteins are built similarly, it was not clear how much each one contributes. The authors say being able to identify and measure each protein's potential to set off an immune response matters.
They extracted proteins from commercial wheat flour and separated them using preparative HPLC. The richest gliadin fractions were then identified with nano-LC-MS/MS in a shotgun proteomic approach, and several gluten fractions were tested by ELISA and western blotting against the main celiac disease epitope.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was lab work on flour proteins, so it cannot show what happens in people who eat wheat.
- It does not show whether any fraction causes celiac disease in a person.
The paper
- Title
- Chromatographic and mass spectrometry analysis of wheat flour prolamins, the causative compounds of celiac disease
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Perez-Gregorio MR, Días R, Mateus N, de Freitas V (2017). Chromatographic and mass spectrometry analysis of wheat flour prolamins, the causative compounds of celiac disease. Food & function. doi:10.1039/c7fo00266aPubMed 28703824DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error