Cytokine profile in coeliac disease

Coeliac disease (CD), an inflammatory enteropathy, is believed to be caused by immune sensitivity to ingested gluten. T-cell activation appears to be implicated in the disease although little is known regarding the role of T- cell subsets, Th1/Th2, and the cytokines they secrete. Reverse transcriptio n-polymerase chain reaction was used to examine the mRNA expression of a wi de profile of cytokines in intestinal and peripheral samples taken from act ive and inactive CD paediatric patients. Differential mRNA expression was o bserved for cytokines, between CD patients and controls, in both compartmen ts. The percentage of samples expressing interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IF N)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-beta, IL-10, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta mRNA from active CD patients was hig her than from controls. A prominent finding was the expression of both Th1 (IFN-gamma, IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-10)-associated cytokine transcripts in the same biopsies and peripheral blood cells from patients with active CD i mplying activation of Th0 cells. The expression of IL-2 and IL-4 mRNA was n ot observed in peripheral blood samples from inactive CD patients associati ng them with disease activity. These results are important to the understan ding of the inflammatory process in CD while cytokine levels may prove to b e relevant markers of disease activity.