DETERMINATION OF LEVELS OF IMMUNOGENIC GLUTEN PEPTIDES IN HUMAN SAMPLES FIELD OF THE INVENTION

摘要

The present invention fitted in the medical-clinical sector, shows a method for monitoring the ingestion of gluten by measuring protein/gluten peptides present in fecal samples with antibodies against immunogenic peptides resistant to gastrointestinal digestion. The presence or absence of these immunogenic peptides is controlled by immunological assays based on antibodies reactive against immunogenic gluten peptides that are resistant to proteolysis. These assays may be quantitative techniques ELISAs, or qualitative as rapid immunochromatographic assays, immunoblots, etc. These measures may also be applied to verify compliance with the gluten-free diet, to improve diagnosis in cases of refractory or severe symptoms of celiac disease in which a gluten-free diet is supposedly being respected, or to clinical research on the effectiveness of enzymatic therapies related with prolamin detoxification.

主权项

1. A process for monitoring gluten consumption in an individual following gluten free diet comprising
(a) isolating a fecal sample from said individual; (b) treating the fecal sample of step (a) with a hydroalcoholic solution, the treating of the fecal sample providing extracted immunotoxic gluten peptides; (c) contacting the extracted peptides of step b) with at least one monoclonal antibody which specifically binds the gluten immunotoxic peptides and with capacity of detecting at least 6 μg gluten/g of fecal sample, the contacting of the extracted peptides with the at least one monoclonal antibody forming monoclonal antibody-gluten peptide complexes; and (d) detecting the monoclonal antibody-gluten peptide complexes formed in step (c); wherein the detection of the monoclonal antibody-gluten peptide complexes is indicative that the individual has consumed gluten.