Gluten-related disorders: mechanisms, diagnosis and new therapies
What it found
This collection of papers looks at how gluten-related conditions are diagnosed and treated, including lab-made enzymes that break down gluten and new tests for wheat allergy.
It covers people, animal studies and lab work.
What they found
Studies in people
Wheat allergy tests
Antibody tests against wheat proteins like omega-5 gliadin and lipid transfer proteins help diagnose wheat allergy. Newer tests such as multiplex immunoassays and basophil activation tests may make diagnosis more precise.
Telling allergy from sensitisation
Measuring IgE, IgG4 and IgG1 antibodies against specific parts of wheat proteins can help tell a true wheat allergy apart from a mere sensitisation. This could reduce false-positive results.
New wheat allergens
Peroxidase-1 and beta-glucosidase were identified as wheat allergens that cross-react in people with grass pollen allergy. New wheat allergens were also found in cases of allergy to undercooked wheat.
Animal and lab studies
Enzyme therapy for celiac disease
An enzyme from the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli, called Bga1903, could moderately break down gluten peptides that trigger celiac disease. A modified version, E380Q/S387L, had a 34-fold increase in its ability to target key gluten motifs.
Other gluten-degrading enzymes
Enzymes such as prolyl endopeptidases, cysteine proteases and subtilisins can cut gluten peptides rich in proline and glutamine. Enteric coating and enzyme modification are being explored to keep them stable in the digestive tract.
Studies in people and animals
Diet-based therapies
Five approaches for gluten hypersensitivity are being studied, including breaking down gluten with enzymes, fermentation and modifying wheat genes. Two have reached small human trials, and animal studies show that thioredoxin treatment and heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes can reduce gluten allergenicity.
What the authors conclude
“Additionally, the study shows that only proper and precise diagnostics can lead to the correct decision regarding the elimination of gluten from the diet.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that only proper and precise diagnostics can lead to the correct decision about removing gluten from the diet.
- They stress that the suggestion that avoiding gluten improves health is medically unjustified.
- They call for continued collaboration across disciplines to validate new diagnostics and therapies in diverse patient groups.
How it was done
The authors say more people are starting gluten-free diets and wrongly seeing gluten as toxic, an idea spread by people without medical or scientific backgrounds. They want to show the only valid medical reasons for avoiding gluten.
The paper gathers studies on gluten digestion, diagnostic markers, who is susceptible to gluten-related disorders, and possible new treatments. It includes reviews and studies in people, animals and lab tests.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from lab tests or animal studies, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The paper does not report a single new trial in people testing whether these therapies work in daily life.
- It cannot say how many people without a diagnosed gluten-related disorder might benefit from avoiding gluten.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Wroclaw Medical University, Poland; Medical University of Lublin, Poland
The paper
- Title
- Recent Advances in Gluten-Related Disorders
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Smolinska S, Jurkiewicz K, Majsiak E (2025). Recent Advances in Gluten-Related Disorders. International journal of molecular sciences. doi:10.3390/ijms26041749Free full textPubMed 40004211DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error