Humoral and cellular immune responses in gluten-treated suckling or hand-fed rats

We analyzed the immune response to gliadin in suckling rats and rats hand-f ed with an artificial milk formula, an animal model of gluten enteropathy. Animals of both groups were intragastrically given either gliadin or albumi n (control animals) or gliadin from birth till day 55. When compared to the controls, spleen lymphocytes from both groups of gliadin-treated rats cult ivated in vitro exhibited a significant increase of spontaneous H-3-thymidi ne incorporation, Moreover, the proliferation of spleen and mesenteric lymp h node (MLN) lymhocytes from both groups of gliadin-treated suckling and ha nd-fed rats was specifically increased by the in vitro gliadin challenge. S pleen B cells from gliadin-treated rats spontaneously produced higher amoun ts of gliadin-specific antibodies than those from the controls, however, in vitro stimulation by gliadin caused no further increase in antibody produc tion. Apoptotic DNA fragmentation in MLN cells was higher in gliadin-treate d rats than in albumin-treated ones, independently of the milk diet during the suckling period.